


elevator buttons and morning air

by lostariels



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Trapped In Elevator
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-09-06 07:13:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 36,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16827727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostariels/pseuds/lostariels
Summary: When Kara makes a stop by her office at L-Corp on Christmas Eve to pick up some extra work, she finds herself face to face with her elusive boss, Lena Luthor, when she steps into the elevator. The only two people at the office, Kara's excited to get home and enjoy the holidays with her family, where as Lena has nowhere to be, and no one to spend it with.But when the power cuts out, they find themselves trapped inside the elevator, and a normally disastrous event turns into a stroke of luck for both of them as they're forced to lean on each other for company while they wait for help to come and rescue them.Learning more about each other, it turns into a night that they won't be quick to forget about.





	1. Chapter 1

The office was closed on Christmas Eve, or rather, it should’ve been, with only the security guards in the downstairs lobby and the janitors coming in early that morning to clean up before the holidays really started, yet Kara had managed to convince one of the guards to let her in, flashing her L-Corp employee ID to the heavyset man that had wandered over to the door to shoo her away. After a few moments of deliberation, during which Kara stood outside, shoulders hunched against the lashing rain as water ran down her face in rivulets, raindrops obscuring her vision as they peppered the lenses of her fake glasses, the guard sighed and let her inside.

It was warm, the vents letting in a flood of warm air that hit Kara like a brick wall as she scuffed her feet on the mat and left a trail of water towards the elevator bank as she pushed the button to call it down, waving her thanks to the security guard, who had reseated himself behind a desk of computer screens, picking up a comic book and blatantly ignoring her interruption. Wiping her face on the sleeve of her coat, she waited for the doors to open and stepped inside, pushing the button for her floor. 

She worked in the Research and Development department of L-Corp as a lab technician, mostly focused on biology, spending hours looking at DNA sequences on a computer screen as she assisted the biotechnologist with her work. It was just one of the many departments in the soaring office building, and she was low on the chain of command. Still, her floor had a good view of the sprawling city splayed out before her, being so high up, and luckily for Kara, her desk was right near one of the windows.

The elevator dinged a few moments later, as she slowly dripped a growing puddle onto the floor, and she stepped out into the empty floor, following the familiar path past labs and storerooms, conference rooms and private offices, towards the open plan area full of neat rows of desks, for those who weren’t yet important enough to warrant their own office. Kara was determined to get her own one day. She’d been at L-Corp for three years now, and was gunning for a promotion. Maybe she’d even be allowed to undertake her own project, if someone took enough notice of her work, or at least give her something more challenging than running information through computer software, compiling data for higher ups to peruse whenever they got around to it. Still, she enjoyed her work, and she enjoyed the research that L-Corp conducted - not just in her department, but in all the others too - making friends elsewhere, listening to their gossip from their own floors and projects. Everything was always so new and exciting, and even now, the novelty hadn’t worn off yet.

The lights were off for the main area, and she flicked the switch, bathing the room in a bright, fluorescent glow, taking in the darkening sky outside as steely grey storm clouds crowded the sky, the rain pounding against the full length windows while tiny pinpricks of lights glowed down below in the city. Rolling her shoulders, she made for her desk, cracking her fingers before booting up her computer and typing in her login details, slipping a USB into the port and selecting all of the files she needed. Spinning in her chair, she waited for the files she needed to download, fiddling with a puzzle toy Alex had bought for her to keep her fidgety hands distracted while her mind raced on, and Kara looked around the empty office.

It was strange, being there so late, when everyone else had stayed home. It was usually full of the hum of conversation, printers spitting out paper with freshly drying ink, spoons clinking against the side of mugs as the air filled with the smell of fresh coffee, and the homemade muffins that a new intern, Nia, liked to bring in on Monday’s. Kara was especially partial to her apple and cinnamon ones, and was secretly hoping that she made some to bring to Alex’s tonight, having invited her over when she’d heard that she’d be spending it alone. The thought of food and company at her sister’s made Kara glance down at her watch, noting that she had a little over an hour until it reached seven. It was plenty of time to print off the work she’d forgotten to take home with her and catch the bus to her sister’s apartment. She’d even bought a new sweater for the occasion, one with a reindeer on it, with a big red pom-pom for a nose. Looking down at it, she smiled to herself, touching the soft fuzziness of it and jumping slightly when the computer made a sound upon completion of the file download.

Then she printed them all, going over to the row of printers to watch as each page slid out, amassing a pile of them, which she safely tucked into the plastic folder she’d brought with her to protect them from the rain. By the time she was finished, night had completely fallen, the sky so dark outside that she could barely see a thing, only her ghostly reflection staring back at her in the window. A low rumble of thunder sounded distantly, and she grimaced at the thought of heading back out into the rain. It didn’t sound like it was going to let up anytime soon.

With a sigh, Kara gathered up her things, slipped her folder into her bag, alongside a bottle of pinot noir, tidied up her desk and pushed her chair in. Walking back through the orderly rows of desks, her damp shoes squeaking on the tiled floor, she switched the lights off and made her way back towards the elevator, pushing the button to summon it and waiting. It wasn’t a long wait, and she blinked in surprise as the doors parted to reveal someone else already in there, looking equally as startled to find that there was someone else inside the building. Pausing as she stared at the dark haired woman tapping at her phone, Kara realised just who it was standing in the elevator, and found herself speechless as she met a pair of green eyes.

“Oh,” the other woman murmured, as if suddenly realising that she wasn’t on the ground floor. She paused for a moment, before arching an eyebrow, her red lips twitching slightly, as if she was about to smile. “Well? Are you going down?”

Shaking herself out of her surprise, Kara felt her cheeks flush, nervously reaching up to fiddle with her glasses as she let out a nervous laugh. “Oh, um, yes. Yes, I am. Thank you.”

Nodding, the other woman turned her attention back to her phone as Kara stepped in, feeling mousy and timid as she stood off to the left, trying to give her boss as much space as she could. She knew what Lena Luthor looked like, of course, and had caught glimpses of her before when she’d come down to Research and Development to see something for herself, or was hurriedly entering the building in the early hours of the morning, but she’d never been  _ this _ close to her. Feeling a little on edge, sneaking shy glances to the woman on her right, Kara felt a nervous fluttering in her stomach. She was beautiful, in a cold, aloof way. She didn’t so much as glance at Kara again, her sharp green eyes locked onto the tiny screen, her painted red lips parted slightly as her eyes darted back and forth. As Kara watched, some of her unbound dark hair fell into her face, and her fingers itched to reach up and brush it back for her.

Looking away, Kara tried to fight back a blush, her hands buried in her coat pockets as she watched the numbers slowly tick down. It was a tall building, and the elevator was taking its sweet time, while the silence stretched on. There wasn’t even elevator music to cover up the quiet hum of machinery as they descended.

And then they stopped with a jolt. 

The lights guttered for a moment, before dimmer ones came on, and Kara whipped her head up, looking around, before her eyes landed on Lena, who was looking around as well. Meeting Kara’s gaze, she grimaced, her forehead creasing slightly as she frowned. Silently watching as she reached out for the lit panel with the elevator buttons, Kara listened for the thrum as electricity as Lena jammed her finger into the button for the lobby. Nothing happened, and Lena’s jabbing grew more insistent, before she slammed a hand against the metal panelling in frustration.

“Fuck,” she muttered, before running a hand through her dark hair, while Kara watched with wide blue eyes. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

Rounding on her, she looked at Kara with a dark expression on her face, and Kara stepped back slightly, taken aback by the fact that the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company was addressing her. Swallowing the lump in her throat as her stomach tied itself into knots, Kara forced herself to meet the hard stare, unsure of whether or not she should speak. Lena saved her the trouble of finding the words to reply to her expletives.

“The power’s gone out,” Lena announced, even though Kara’s sensitive hearing had already led her to that conclusion, “we’re stuck.”

“Oh … okay,” Kara mumbled, unsure if Lena wanted a reply, or whether she was just stating the facts aloud to try and diffuse the panic before it started. “Um … should we call for help?”

  
  


Holding her phone up, Lena frowned, squinting up at the screen, before letting out a heavy sigh. “No signal.”

“Oh, um, well I’m sure someone will come. Right?”

Giving her a pointed look, Lena crossed her arms over her chest, and Kara took the time to admire the very expensive looking fur coat she was wearing - a dark grey with the fur collar a matching colour - while she waited for Lena to assure her that yes, someone would come. But the other woman didn’t say anything beyond the uninspiring look, and Kara felt her heart sink. It would’ve been nothing for her to tear through the ceiling of the elevator, if it weren’t for her boss, and she resigned herself to the fact that she’d have to play human for a little while, until they were rescued. 

“I hope you’re not claustrophobic,” Lena dourly replied a few moments later, a grim look on her face as she looked around in vain. The backup battery had brought the lights back on, but unless the power came back on, they wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon.

Kara thought it was best to keep it to herself that she was, in fact, scared of small spaces. Of course, she’d have to explain that it was due to the fact that she’d been squeezed into a pod and launched into space, her fate unknown for  _ years _ , until she landed on Earth. Instead, she stood silently in place, teeth worrying at her bottom lip as she tried to think of a solution. 

With a sigh, Lena threw herself down onto the floor of the elevator, heedless of the hundreds of feet that had trampled the floor of it, and leant back against the brassy walls of it, her head tipped back and her eyes closed. Watching her for a few moments, taking in the almost ghostly pallor of her skin, the way her dark lashes fluttered again her high cheekbones, and her way the light made her cheeks look hollow and her eyes almost sunken. There were tired circles ringing her eyes beneath the makeup, and Kara was still staring at her, taking in the tiny scar beneath her eyebrow, and the freckle on her neck, when one of Lena’s eyes snapped open to fixate on her.

Blushing, Kara ducked her head down, fiddling with the strap on her bag as she looked down at the floor, taking in the flecked pattern, as she avoided the other woman’s eyes.

“What’s your name?”

Looking up, her blonde eyebrows rising slightly in surprise, Kara almost looked to see if it was her being addressed, before realising that of course it was; they were the only two in there. She stared at Lena for a few moments, the silence stretching on, before realising that she’d been asked a question. One which required an answer.

“Oh, it’s, uh, Kara. Kara Danvers, ma’am.”

It occurred to her that she should probably shake her hand, the Earth custom for introductions, and she hesitantly took a step forward, extending a hand down to the woman sitting on the floor. With a snort of laughter, Lena gave her an amused look as her lips curled up into a smile, and she reached up to shake Kara’s hand, just once, before dropping it. Gesturing towards the floor opposite her, Lena gave her a wry smile. “A pleasure. Please, won’t you sit?”

Feeling almost as if she was being mocked, Kara paused, before doing as instructed, folding her lithe limbs beneath her and sitting cross-legged, settling her bag down beside her and letting her head fall back against the metal wall. Descending into silence again, they were both left alone with their thoughts. Wondering how long it would be before someone noticed that the power had gone out, and that they were  _ in _ the elevator, Kara held her wrist up to check the time.

“Got somewhere to be?”

Letting her arm fall back down into her lap, Kara straightened up slightly, eyebrows rising slightly again at the fact that Lena had spoken to her. Giving her a tentative smile, she shrugged half-heartedly. “Dinner at my sister’s place with a few friends.” Nodding, Lena gave him a grim look, before her gaze wandered off again. Feeling a little brave, Kara gently cleared her throat. “You?”

With a laugh, Lena arched an eyebrow, her eyes crinkling at the corners as if Kara had said the funniest thing she’d heard in a while, and she shook her head. “No. God, no. I haven’t had anywhere to be on Christmas Eve in … years.”

Kara was surprised to hear that. She assumed that her boss would always be fully booked, every day of the year. Often, Kara had see her name in the news, at charity events and galas, key speaker at conferences and always being interviewed for her new contributions to science and technology. Surely someone so popular would have plans for Christmas? What about her family? Her friends? Even a business partner surely would’ve extended and invitation to her for some corporate event? Yet she chose to be at work, holed up in her office on the top floor, rather than doing literally  _ anything  _ else.

And then it occurred to Kara that she’d come to the office too. She could’ve gone to Alex’s, opened the bottle of wine before anyone else got there and helped slice cheese and salami, artfully arranging them on platters with fruits and crackers, but instead, she’d come to fetch her forgotten work. Holidays for her were very hit or miss. A lot of the time, Alex got called into work over some emergency, and Kara would be quick to follow, suiting up and flying to the DEO to stop some alien, while their carefully prepared meal turned cold and hard on the kitchen table. This year, at least she’d be able to get some work done once her part was over. Stopping the criminals was easy, and she was just glad she didn’t have to go through the tedious task of processing them and locking them up. 

“So … why were you at work?” Lena interrupted her.

A quiet laugh escaped Kara as she gave Kara a smile, “most bosses would be happy that their employees were doing some overtime.” When Lena stared at her expectantly, Kara’s smile dropped slightly. “I was just … getting some work. You know, to catch up on over the holidays, in case I had some spare time.”

Groaning, Lena shook her head, her eyes squeezed shut as she shook with quiet laughter. “No, no,  _ please _ don’t say that. That’s almost as sad as what  _ I  _ have planned.”

Tilting her head to the side, Kara gave her a curious look. “Why, what’re you doing?”

Eyelids fluttering open, Lena gave her a steady look, a proud tilt to her jaw as if daring Kara to laugh at her. “I’m going to sleep in until noon, eat the meal that my chef prepared for me this morning, and drink a bottle of wine. If I get drunk enough, I might even accept the call off my mother, but that’s a big might.”

“Fun Christmas,” Kara dryly replied.

Shrugging, Lena pursed her lips slightly, before her expression softened and she cracked a smile at her. “I’ve had worse.”

“Well I hate to break it to you, boss, but if we don’t get out of here, this might be the worst one yet.”

“Hmm, I doubt that. There are worse ways to spend Christmas than locked in an elevator with an employee while we both starve. It might actually be an improvement.”

“Oh yeah? And how’s that?” she playfully shot back.

“Because at least I won’t be alone,” Lena murmured, so softly that Kara wasn’t quite sure if she was meant to hear her. The hesitant jokes had dissolved into a serious moment, the smile dying on Kara’s lips as she stared at her boss. She was younger than Kara by a couple of years, and it suddenly struck her that Lena might be more lonely than she was letting on.

The silence hung heavily over them after that, and Kara was keenly aware of the other woman’s presence as the minutes ticked by. She counted Lena’s heartbeat to pass the time, focusing on the steady thud as she looked up at the bright lights, the smell of metal and some chemical cleaner sharp in her nose. She could hear sirens in the distance, and the heartbeat of the security guards far below in the lobby, as well as the lashing rain outside, barely more than a gentle patter to her ears, safely tucked away inside the elevator. Kara could hear the whole city, yet the elevator was so quiet, almost to the point where it was unbearable. It was almost suffocating, making the walls seem closer as her and Lena left each other in peace.

An hour passed before either of them spoke again, with no sight of anyone coming to rescue them, and Kara let out a defeated sigh as she glanced at her watch, shoulders slumping as she pouted. She should’ve been at Alex’s by now. J’onn would’ve been there, and Eliza, Brainy, James and Nia. Alex had said that she was going to order Chinese, saving their massive turkey for tomorrow, when Kara would be allowed to cook it with her heat vision, a task which had become tradition. Tonight though, they’d have takeout and watch Christmas movies, drinking eggnog and playing charades, getting themselves all excited for presents tomorrow morning. Her stomach growled at the thought of all the food they’d be eating, and her heart ached slightly at the fact that she wouldn’t be there for the company. There wasn’t even any signal in the elevator for her to call Alex and let her know why she wouldn’t be there.

“Hungry?”

Blinking herself back to the present, Kara grimaced as she shrugged, “I was supposed to be at my sister’s by now. They were ordering Chinese.”

“I might have a mint in my bag, if it helps,” Lena offered.

Snorting with laughter, Kara politely rejected the offer, and Lena shrugged, opening her bag and rifling through it for the said mint, unwrapping it and popping it into her mouth, filling the small space with the smell of peppermint. Then she continued to pull things out of her bag, and Kara watched as she started flicking through a report, having nothing better to do. After a few minutes of watching green eyes dart back and forth across the page, while slender fingers turned the pages, Kara reached into her own bag and pulled out the papers she’d printed off. Pulling a pen out, she clamped it between her teeth, thumbing through the pages with a serious look on her face, until she found what she was looking for.

It was some of her work on cancer markers in DNA and genes - a side project she was hoping to take further one day, if she ever got that private office and promotion - and she spread out graphs and data, scribbling notes in the margins as she compared pages, getting lost in her work. Completely absorbed in the numbers and results, the different gene markers and endless pages of graphs, time slipped by without her even noticing, and it wasn’t until Lena cleared her throat that Kara jumped, accidentally drawing a blunt line across one page as she looked up, blinking owlishly as she took in the amused look on the CEO’s face.

Lena had long since finished with the reports she’d intended to take home with her and glance over before bed, and she was watching Kara with interest, leaning forward slightly to peer at the upside down pages, head tilted to the side as if she was trying to read the tiny black print.

“What department are you in?” Lena quietly asked.

“Research and Development,” Kara beamed at her, sounding proud at the fact, “focused on biotechnology. I’m an assistant lab tech.”

Arching an eyebrow, Lena gave her a mildly surprised look, gesturing towards the spread of paper, “I don’t recall authorising any projects on isolating cancer markers in DNA and trying to delete them. Who’re you assisting?”

Giving her a sheepish look, Kara gave her a guilty smile, “it’s a, uh, side project, I guess you could say. It’s not what I do, I just- well, it’s something that I would  _ like _ to, one day, maybe, you know, if … well, I don’t want to be assisting people on their own projects forever, you know?”

“Oh,” Lena murmured, surprise colouring her voice as she looked up at Kara, looking mildly impressed, before holding out a hand, “may I see it?”

Pausing for a moment, Kara realised that she was serious and quickly scrambled for one of the pages covered in writing, detailing the information and research she’d gathered, before handing it over. She chewed on her bottom lip as she watched Lena quickly give the page a once over, before handing it back without a word. Staring at her for a few moments, Lena’s eyes drilled into her blue ones, and she fought back the urge to squirm beneath it, nervously clutching the paper in her hands, crumpling it slightly.

“It’s good,” Lena eventually told her, and Kara let out a shaky laugh, her tense shoulders sagging, “it needs more work, but it’s a decent proposal. I’m actually conducting my own research on curing cancer.”

“Really?” Kara eagerly asked, her eyes lighting up.

She fought back the urge to ask a dozen questions, her lips pressed together to stop them spilling out, and Lena shook with silent laughter as she watched her struggle to contain herself. Finally she couldn’t help but smile widely, a glimmer of mirth in her eyes as she gave her an expectant look. “Well, don’t you want to know what it’s about? I thought you’d be interested.”

“I am!” Kara exclaimed, sounding nearly desperate and wanting to kick herself at the fact, her face flushing as she quickly quelled her excitement, drawing back slightly as she ducked her head and fiddled with her glasses. “I mean, I-”

“Can I borrow your pen?”

Willingly relinquishing it to her boss, Kara chewed on her bottom lip as she watched Lena steal one of her pieces of paper, flipping it over to the blank side and hunching over as she started to draw out complicated graphs and diagrams, talking all the while. Kara found herself leaning towards her, completely enraptured by the sound of her passionately talking about her project, a look of concentration on her face as she watched Lena’s hand move across the page. 

Turning it around, Lena showed it to her, pointing to hasty sketches of machines, words and numbers that Kara was barely able to keep track of as she put all the information together, and watched with awe as Lena gestured around with her hands a lot, her eyes lit up and a determined look on her face. Venturing a few tentative questions, which only seemed to further motivate Lena as she rambled off explanations, Kara found herself  _ needing _ to work on that project. Based on nothing more than a few hurried diagrams and a rambling conversation, she knew that it would change the world - maybe not right now, but one day, she knew it would - and she wanted to be a part of that.

“It’s  _ brilliant,” _ she said, somewhat breathlessly as Lena straightened up, giving her an almost smug smile as she handed back over the pen. 

Expression darkening for a moment, a brooding look crossed Lena’s face, “not yet. It’s nothing more than wishful thinking at the moment.”

Giving her an encouraging smile, Kara shrugged, “yeah, but everything starts out as wishful thinking, ma’am. It’s just whether you have the means to take those thoughts and put them into action.”

Silently absorbing Kara’s words, Lena watched as the blonde started gathering all of her work up, stacking the pages in a neat pile and straightening them with a tap against the floor, before returning them to the folder. Her mind was whirling with all of the new information, and she knew that she wasn’t going to get much work done for the rest of their time stuck in the elevator. Unless they were in there for a  _ very _ long time. Just the thought made Kara’s spine prickle with unease, the collar of her sweater feeling a little snug as she was overwhelmingly hot.

“Miss Danvers?” Lena suddenly asked, and Kara looked at her, trying to nip her panic in the bud before it overwhelmed her. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course, ma’am.”

A wry smile curled Lena’s lips and her eyes crinkled at the corners in a way that Kara thought was endearing. “Can you  _ not _ call me ma’am, please? It just- I mean, we’re like the same age, and it makes me feel ancient.”

“Oh … oh, yes, of course, Miss Luthor,” Kara said, her voice coloured with surprise, “sorry.”

Letting out a quiet chuckle, Lena gave her a scrutinising look, taking in the way she was shifting uncomfortably, feeling hot beneath her coat and eyes nervously darting around, as if she was afraid the walls were going to close in. She’d never  _ had _ to be stuck somewhere like this before. Not since the pod. It was an uncomfortable thought, and Kara hesitantly cleared her throat, trying to busy herself with her bag.

“Miss Danvers, are you okay?”

“Kara,” she blurted out, “just Kara. I, um, well, I actually  _ am  _ claustrophobic. God, it’s hot in here. Isn’t it hot? And so  _ small _ .” 

She suddenly rose to her feet, her chest heaving slightly as her breathing increased, and she moved towards the panel, jamming her finger against the buttons. Trying a dozen different floors, she waited for them to light up, but they didn’t, and she had to fight back to urge to punch her way through the control panel in her frustration and panic.

“Maybe we just- maybe another floor will work? Shouldn’t you have backup generators too? I mean, you’re a billion-dollar company, you should have backup power sources for your experiments.”

Stepping away from the panel, she looked up, taking in the dead security cameras and wondering if perhaps she  _ could _ just tear her way out of there and trust her boss not to tell anyone who she was. Of course, that would lead to problems at the DEO, and that was a lot of trust to place in someone who she’d only come face to face with two hours ago. Letting out a huff of frustration, she gently slammed her hand against the wall, the dull, clanging thud of metal being struck making Lena leap to her feet and reach out, grabbing her arm and pulling her away.

“Hey, it’s okay,” she said, her forehead creasing as she frowned, a look of concern in her eyes as she drew Kara back over to her corner. “I  _ do _ have backup generators, but the weather might be so bad that it’s damaged them. And most of the power will be redirected to security protocols and preserving biological samples. But it’s fine, someone will come.”

“It’s Christmas Eve,” Kara curtly replied, “people are going to be drink driving, and- and I don’t know, falling off the roof pretending to be Santa for their kids. Emergency Services will be busy all night, and tomorrow - oh God, what if we’re in here for  _ days? _ We’re going to starve in here! And there’s no water.”

Sighing, Lena tugged on her coat sleeve, and Kara let herself be tugged down onto the cool floor, pressing a head against her hot forehead and feeling the first prickles of sweat as she got herself worked up. Quickly untying her coat, she slipped it off and fanned her flushed face, catching sight of Lena’s wide eyes and stricken face staring at her stomach. Looking down, Kara realised that she was wearing her reindeer sweater, the large pom-pom nose protruding rather obviously from the knitted wool, and her face grew warm as it turned scarlet with embarrassment. Crossing her arms over her stomach, she felt some of her panic recede as embarrassment took its place, and she awkwardly cleared her throat, feeling like she owed her boss an explanation.

“I, uh, it was for the party.”

“Oh, is it like a family thing?”

Feeling mortified, Kara blushed even further, if that was possible, letting out a shaky laugh. “Um, no? I just … like the holidays.”

“Huh.”

“What?”

A slow smile spread across Lena’s face, and she tilted her head to the side, her eyes travelling over the reindeer as she shrugged half-heartedly. “Nothing. I just- I’ve never really gotten into the whole festive thing. It’s quite funny. I guess I can understand the novelty of it.”

“What, like you don’t have a  _ tree?”  _ At the shake of her head, Kara gave her a horrified look, and Lena’s expression turned sheepish. “What about Christmas movies and candy canes and gingerbread cookies? That’s like … that’s what Christmas is about.”

Scoffing, Lena scowled as she crossed her arms over her chest, “oh  _ please _ , those movies are so cringeworthy.”

“That’s the best part!”

A laugh bubbled up and Lena gave her an amused look, if not a little sceptical, and she nodded, as if she was going to take Kara’s word for it. Suddenly, her words earlier about her plans for Christmas Day and how at least if she was trapped with Kara she wouldn’t be alone, made Kara realise that it hadn’t been some attempt at a joke, but that Lena genuinely didn’t seem to celebrate the holidays. It filled her with sadness, trying to understand how someone could be content to spend them alone. The holidays were for family, that was one of the first things she’d learnt when she’d come to Earth, and it made her heart ache to think that Lena didn’t have any family to spend it with. 

Under other circumstances, such as them not being locked inside an elevator and likely to miss the holidays anyway, and Lena not being her boss by many,  _ many _ ranks, Kara probably would’ve invited her over to join her family for dinner. It had become her custom over the years to invite any waifs and strays she found alone for the holidays, and Eliza and Alex had always gone along with. Kara had a sneaking suspicion that Alex would’ve loved Lena. She didn’t know much about her boss, but they both had the same hardness about them, that was for sure. And just like her sister, Kara was sure that beneath the tough exterior, there was a soft kindness to the young CEO.

Her point was proved a moment later when Lena gave her a sympathetic look, her voice coloured with worry. “Are you okay?”

Tilting her head to the side, Kara grimaced, a contemplative look on her face as she considered the question. Their pointless rambling about Christmas had taken her mind off of their situation, and she was grateful for her reindeer sweater and Lena’s gentle prompting. Giving her a soft smile, Kara slowly nodded, “yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.”

“Okay,” Lena mumbled, giving her a kind smile, “good.”

“We’ll be out of here soon anyway,” Kara bravely replied.

“Right. Of course we will,” Lena lied, and Kara found that she appreciated it, even if she knew that they weren’t going anywhere right now. She could hear the city, and there were no sirens coming for them, no one trying to get into the building to rescue them. The only sound was the security guard muttering to himself, and Kara could envision him locked inside the dark lobby, sitting through the rest of his shift in the light of a torch. At least there was space there. She’d even settle for being stuck on one of the floors.

They fell back into silence, sitting in their respective corners, lost in their own thoughts. The whole time, Kara wrestled with the urge to say something, feeling like she ought to say something to stop the silence from suffocating her. Too often she rambled on when silences became too much, and she’d already spent half of her time blushing in front of her boss, and didn’t really feel like embarrassing herself further with her babbling nonsense. She heard Lena’s teeth chatter a little while later though, catching a glimpse of a shiver running through the other woman, and she looked up, giving her a small smile. Of course her human body would be more susceptible to the cold, and Kara reached for her coat.

“Cold?”

“A little,” Lena murmured, her lips trembling slightly as she spoke.

Picking the folded coat up, Kara leant across the small space and held it out to her. An apprehensive look on her face, Lena sat up, warily eyeing the coat, before she met Kara’s eyes. “Aren’t you cold?”

“Uh, no, not at all really. You can have it, it’s fine,” Kara assured her with a dimpled smile.

Quietly thanking her, Lena took the coat and shook it out, draping it over lap as she drew her knees up to her chest. Her teeth stopped chattering after that, and they fell into a relaxed silence, with Kara glancing at her watch every so often, in between listening for any sounds of someone coming to free them. But the nearby city was eerily quiet, and she was surprised she hadn’t realised it sooner. The hum of electricity, the whirring of fans and heating systems, the sound of TV’s in bars and the quiet booming of music in nightclubs were all gone. Her heart sank at the realisation that the power must’ve gone out for a few blocks at least. 

Her hunger grew as time slipped by, growling with increasing frequency, and she gave Lena apologetic smiles whenever a loud rumble caught her attention. It seemed that hunger was getting to Lena too, and they both left each other along to hug their empty stomachs, Kara thinking about the Chinese they’d be eating at Alex’s, and Lena thinking about the meal her chef would’ve left for her. After another rumble, she met Lena’s eye and they both laughed.

“I should’ve taken you up on the offer of that mint.”

Snorting, Lena gave her an apologetic look, “I would’ve saved it for you if I’d known you’d change your mind. I guess I’ll keep a stash ready at hand from now on. With some water too; I feel like I’m going to die of thirst.”

“I-I’ve got some wine … if that helps?” Kara offered.

Letting out a snort of laughter, Lena gave her a bewildered look, “you just happen to be carrying a bottle of wine around with you at the office?” 

“It was for the party. I-I don’t have any glasses, but we can put it to use if you want? No point in it going to waste.”

Lena shrugged, and Kara pulled it out of her bag, tearing off the foil and gritting her teeth with anticipation as she pulled the cork out of the top. A small pop made her jump, and she let out a quick laugh, giving Lena a sheepish look, before she held the bottle out to her. With a small sigh, Lena leant forward and took the bottle off her, hesitating before giving Kara a lopsided smile.

“Cheers, I guess.”

Taking a quick swig from the bottle, Lena handed it back to her, and Kara murmured her own cheers, before taking a sip. It was far from the Christmas Eve she’d been expecting, but it was good wine, and her company could’ve been a  _ lot _ worse. Far, far worse. In fact, Kara was almost glad that it was her boss, because it actually made her work feel more personal, rather than being the faceless employee of some aloof woman she didn’t even know. At least now she felt like she knew a little about what Lena stood for, even if it was only based on a short conversation about her research and her apparent hatred of the holidays.

After another sip, Kara held the bottle back out to Lena, who took it back and drank deeply. They went back and forth like that, mostly in silence, but occasionally making a few comments on trivial things, until the bottle was empty. Setting it down with a resolute clink, Kara sighed, letting her head fall back against the wall. The wine had done nothing for her - it never did - but Lena’s cheeks were looking a little flushed, and eyes bright and glassy. She wasn’t drunk, not by far, but Kara would wager that the edges of her mind were a little fuzzier, and her inhibition lowered just a little. Perhaps even enough for her not to be too suspicious if Kara parted the elevator doors.

She wasn’t sure if they were even close to being near a floor, but there was a chance they they were, or maybe even half on a floor, and that was a good enough chance for her. Climbing to her feet, she cocked her head to the side, looking at the line where the sliding doors met, and pursed her lips slightly. Surely being on a floor would be better than the cramped elevator. There’d be desk chairs to sit in, if they were lucky and they got a good floor, there might even be a kettle or coffee machine, a few snacks that someone had left in a fridge. There’d be emergency staircases too, allowing them to get all the way down to the lobby and outside. It was nearly ten o’clock, and everyone would be leaving Alex’s by the time she got there, but at least she could have something to eat and fall asleep in her bed, instead of the cold floor of the elevator.

“Hey, do you think that it’d be possible to pry the doors open?” she asked Lena, glancing down at the woman huddled up in the corner with Kara’s coat as a blanket.

“Maybe, if you’re strong enough.”

Suppressing a laugh, Kara bit back a smile, flexing her fingers as she moved towards the doors and slipped her fingers into the small groove where they didn’t  _ quite _ seal properly. She could part them in a heartbeat, with no more effort than opening her curtains in the morning. But that would be too obvious. Instead, she stood there for a few minutes, pretending to heave at the doors, puffing and straining as she put on a show for Lena’s benefit. The metal grinded a little as she let it give way just a little, listening to the sound of heels scrabbling against the floor as Lena jumped to her feet.

Pale hands slipped into the gap as well, and Kara glanced at Lena, meeting her green eyes and giving her an encouraging smile. Nodding, Lena grit her teeth and started tugging, and Kara’s lips twitched as she slowly dragged her half back, trying to make it look like a struggle, as if the door was fighting back. Wedging her foot into the gap when it was big enough to, she nudged Lena’s side, helping make it easier for her without letting her know that she wasn’t doing anything. It was a few minutes later, before they managed to get it open enough for them to fit through, leaving it at that, with Kara pretending that she couldn’t make it budge any further.

It turned out that they were in between floors, or just partially below one, with a gap big enough for them to wriggle out of at the top of the open doors. But then there were the closed outer doors of the elevator on the floor, and Kara sighed, stretching up on her tiptoes and fumbling for the edge of it, assuring Lena that she had it and slowly wrenched those ones apart too. Cool, fresh air washed over her face, and she gratefully breathed in, settling back down flat on her feet with a triumphant look on her face. Turning to Lena, Kara gave her a bright smile, eyes lit up with delight as relief washed over her and she felt the tension bleed out of her shoulders.

“That’s a big enough gap for us to get out of.”

Scoffing, Lena gave her an incredulous look, “and how do you suppose we climb up to the fucking ceiling?”

Biting her lip, Kara shrugged, before bending down to gather up her bag and the empty wine bottle. “I’ll climb up and I’ll pull you through. Or I’ll boost you through first. Your choice.”

Giving her a look of disbelief, looking at Kara’s sweater covered arms, as if trying to judge how strong she was, Lena grimaced. With no other alternatives, and the thought of escaping the elevator too good to pass up, she grabbed her bag and Kara’s coat, walking over to the gap and looking up at the dark patch leading to the floor above.

“Okay, um, you can boost me, I guess.”

Taking the bag and coat from her, Kara tossed them through the hole, along with her bag and the wine bottle, listening to the latter roll across the tiled floor, before she made to pick Lena up.

“Wait, wait,” the other woman said, slipping off her pair of Louboutins and giving Kara a small smile. Letting out a quiet laugh, Kara took them off her and tossed them through as well, both of them clattering to the floor somewhere inside the darkness.

With a smile, Kara raised her eyebrows at the woman, who now stood a few inches shorter than her, “may I?”

When Lena nodded, Kara bent her knees and wrapped her arms around Lena’s bare legs, her cool, soft skin cold to the touch, before straightening up. Looking up, she gave Lena a nervous smile, dark hair tickling her cheek, and she shook her head to try and shake it off. Reaching up, Lena gently brushed her hair off Kara’s cheek, her fingertips as light as a feather as they grazed her warm cheeks. Lena’s expensive perfume enveloped them in a sweet smelling cloud, and Kara found it an intoxicating smell, tempted to ask what it was, before realising that there were pressing matters ahead. Clearing her throat, Kara turned towards the doors, stepping as close as she could, and giving Lena an encouraging look.

“Okay, I’ve got you, just grab hold of the outer doors and pull yourself through.”

“Right.”

“I’ll push you up too,” she assured Lena.

Keeping her arms wrapped tightly around her legs, she lifted Lena up with ease, holding her steady as the CEO managed to get her arms and her through the gap, followed by the twisting of her shoulders as she wriggled and squirmed. Averting her gaze as she pushed her up, Kara gently tugged Lena’s dress down whenever it rode up slightly, until a pair of white feel slipped through into the darkness. She listened to Lena’s heavy breathing and breathless laughter, picturing her spread out on the tiles as she was surrounded by the impenetrable blackness and free air.

And then Kara didn’t feel quite as happy, still trapped in the elevator, but all alone this time. It was a stupid fear, irrational even, considering the fact that the doors were open and she’d be out in a heartbeat, but a lump formed in her throat anyway, and she felt sweat prickle her skin as she started to panic again. It suddenly occurred to her that Lena could just leave her there, go and get help so that she didn’t have to do it, thinking that it was a better course of action, and Kara clenched her hands into fists to stop them shaking as she thought about being alone. She’d be able to get out of the elevator by herself, of course, but she still didn’t fancy being inside the building alone. 

“Kara?”

A pale face appeared in the gap, soft eyes crinkling at the corners in a smile, and a slender hand being pushed through, reaching down for her. Sagging with relief, Kara unclenched her clammy hand and wiped it on her jeans, before reaching up to take it. Lena’s face disappeared from sight as she braced herself to pull Kara up, and Kara floated slightly, making herself lighter as she agreed that she was ready. Bracing her legs against the wall, she listened to Lena heave, smiling slightly as she easily climbed up the wall, twisting her narrow shoulders through the gap as Lena kept pulling. 

She came free with a last tug, not expecting it and tumbling straight on top of her boss, pinning her beneath her warm weight. Nervously laughing, Kara gingerly pushed herself up, hurrying to apologise as she climbed to her feet, reaching down to give Lena a hand up. Pulling her to her feet in one quick tug, Lena wasn’t quite expecting it, overbalancing and stumbling straight into Kara, who steadied her with her strong grip. It was Lena’s time to apologise, giving her a sheepish smile, and Kara waved it aside as she reached out to fix the rumpled fur collar for her.

Gathering their things up, Lena carrying her heels in hand as she walked ahead, a shadowy figure against the darkness, and Kara looked around at the hallway that they were in. Walking ahead, Lena came to a stop, and Kara followed behind her, finding their path blocked by a thick steel door, not unlike the elevator one, but a lot more durable. She couldn’t bluff her way through parting those ones. They were clearly for security measures, and Lena softly swore as she pressed a hand against it.

“We’re on one of the floors with high risk information. If there’s a power outage, the building automatically goes into lockdown for security reasons, in case there’s a breach. Some floors … well I have these doors to stop people from getting in or out.”

“Any clue which floor it is?” Kara asked.

Shaking her head, Lena turned away from it and moved towards one of the doors to their left. There were two on each side, leading into other rooms, and she tested the handle, finding it locked. With a sigh, she kicked it, cursing as she hurt her foot, and Kara quickly moved over to one of the other ones, finding it locked too, but using enough force to break it, pushing the door open and letting out a fake sound of surprise.

“Oh … this one’s unlocked,” she called out, and Lena quickly walked over to her, resting a hand against Kara’s shoulder blade as she peered into the dark room.

A moment later, a bright light cut through the darkness as Lena raised her phone, the torch illuminating a room with a photocopier and printer, a row of cupboards which Kara raided to find paper, staples and pencils, as well as other office goods. A water dispenser stood in a corner, and she watched as Lena poured herself a cup, while she walked over to a desk pushed up against the wall with trays for invoices and messages. It was a cluttered mess, forms and documents stacked precariously, and she searched those cupboards too, finding nothing of use.

Sighing, she tipped her head back, hands on her hips as she took in a deep breath, realising that they were no better off now. It was getting late and her eyes were starting to burn with tiredness, and all they’d managed to do was go from an elevator to a supply closet. A gentle nudge tore her out of her frustrated thoughts, and she looked down at the hand holding a paper cup out to her, giving Lena a small smile as she quietly thanked her and took a sip. Draining the cup, she threw it into the small trash can, before taking a seat on the carpeted floor.

A moment later, Lena sat across from her, a resigned look on her face. There was nowhere else to go from here, and Kara didn’t want to have to do more property damage on the off chance that they would find something useful. Pursing her lips for a moment, she fiddled with the reindeer nose of her sweater and glanced at Lena.

“So … the emergency staircases …”

“Not on the main hallway,” Lena grumbled, a crestfallen look on her face, “whoever designed the building put the stairwells off of the centrepoint of the building. We’ll be on the northern end of it, that’s where the elevators are.”

“Isn’t that in violation of some codes?”

Bristling slightly, Lena made a low sound at the back of her throat, looking a little disgruntled. “No,” she curtly replied, “the lockdown procedure is only for security breaches, and power outages, in case that’s part of the breach. And if there  _ was _ someone in here, then the floors would be isolated from each other, each one partitioned into three parts. It’d make it easier to catch the intruder.”

“What if they had a gun? You’d be locking people in to be killed.”

“I’d be stopping the gunman from moving from floor to floor and potentially killing a lot more people. It’s standard protocol. Besides, it’d only be until Supergirl arrived. She’d save everyone.”

Snorting, Kara gave her a look of surprise. She would’ve pegged her as more of a sceptic, but she apparently had a lot of faith in Supergirl, and the thought made Kara feel warm inside. She’d initially taken the job to keep an eye on the youngest Luthor, keeping out of her way and listening to the gossip, keeping tabs on any projects that could be a potential threat, yet she’d found Lena to be cleaner than any other company she’d had dealings with. It was surprising, to say the least, but it was even more surprising to hear her be so trusting of an alien. It wasn’t like there was much love between their families, even if Lena didn’t know who she was actually talking to.

“That’s a lot of faith to have in someone you don’t know,” Kara murmured, feeling a little bit self-conscious as she fiddled with her glasses.

Shrugging, Lena propped her chin up in her hand, staring down at the carpet with a grave look on her face. “Well, she’s more than earned it. I’m not sure she’d feel too kindly about  _ me _ though.”

“I think she would,” Kara gently replied, “I think she’d like that you’re trying to help people.”

Peering up with a nervous look on her face, teeth worrying at her bottom lip as she gave Kara a hopeful look, the corners of her lips curled the tiniest bit. “You think so?”

Expression softening, Kara nodded, pity welling up as she stared at the young girl. She knew she was young, yet she looked even younger at that moment, her fear so plainly visible on her youthful face, a vulnerable slump to her shoulders, and Kara’s smile grew. “I do. I think she’d think it was a wonderful legacy to leave behind, helping other people. And you help  _ so _ many people. I mean, you’re always at those charity events and fundraisers. I don’t think anyone could deny that you do good work.”

Softly snorting, Lena shook her head, rubbing the back of her neck as her forehead creased with another frown. “It’s kind of you to say, but I have a lot of reparations to make before people trust me.”

“Well, hey,  _ I  _ trust you. I mean, you’re a good boss, and you could’ve left me in that elevator and gone home to your wine and leftover meal and let me spend Christmas here all alone, so …” Kara weakly joked.

Giving her a reproving look, Lena couldn’t help but laugh, and Kara joined in, watching as the other woman’s face softened in the light from her phone. “After you shared your wine with me? That’d be a bit rude.”

“Aren’t CEO’s supposed to be assholes though?”

“Oh yeah,” Lena laughed, “but that’s because most of them are men, and men in general are assholes. I like to think I actually have a brain, and a heart.”

“And courage?”

Giving her a bewildered look, Lena hesitated, confusion in her eyes. “Um, yeah? I suppose, if I need to be.”

“No, I-” Kara laughed, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, before she sighed, giving her an amused look, “it’s, uh, the Wizard of Oz. How they’re all going to the Emerald City to-” at the blank look on Lena’s face, she trailed off, giving her a sheepish smile, “never mind, it doesn’t matter. Anyway, I, for one, am glad to have a good boss.”

Cocking her head to the side, Lena gave her a searching look, “how long have you worked for me?”

“Three years.”

“Huh … seems strange that this is the first time we’ve met,” Lena murmured, “I should make an effort to get to know my employees a little more.”

Shrugging, Kara gave her a smile, “you’re far too important to be worrying about things like that. I’m sure you have a thousand other things to be doing.”

“I do. But still, I feel like I should definitely know the employees who’re here on  _ Christmas Eve _ , risking getting stuck in elevators just to do some paperwork.”

“I’m afraid that’s just me.”

“Then maybe I should just make an effort for you then.”

Nervously laughing, Kara grew shy as her cheeks turned pink and she rubbed the back of her neck. She found herself getting flustered whenever Lena paid any particular length of attention to her directly, stunned by how beautiful she was, how successful, and feeling a little bit inadequate with her wild hair, now dry from the rain she’d walked through to get inside, her silly reindeer sweater and the fact that she was miles down the hierarchy of employees. If they were a food chain, Lena was at the very top, the most dangerous predator, powerful and in charge, while Kara would be grass.

“Well? Come on, Miss Danvers, tell me a bit about yourself,” Lena said, giving her an expectant look, before she shifted, laying down on her back, using Kara’s coat as a blanket as she closed her eyes, arms folded behind her head.

Blowing all of the air out of her lungs, Kara floundered for a moment, before carefully easing herself down beside Lena, staring up at the panels of the ceiling as she wracked her mind for something to say. And then she started to talk, telling Lena about her family - back on Krypton and with the Danvers - leaving out key details about her superpowers and extracurricular activities, about her studies at NCU, her favourite books and movies, foods and colours. Some of it was useless nonsense, and others were weightier topics, and Lena was quiet the entire time, listening to her her spill her guts out at her request. 

When she finally fell silent, running out of trivial facts that came to mind, she let her head loll to the side and found Lena staring at her. Cheeks reddening, Kara looked back up at the ceiling, closing her eyes to the sight and letting silence weigh down on her. And then much to her surprise, Lena started to talk, her voice low and hesitant as she covered the same topics as Kara. It was surprising to hear how much they had in common, and Kara watched her with rapt attention, taking in the curve of her jawline, the sharp cheekbones, the scar beneath her eyebrow. She watched the way Lena talked with her hands, even when she wasn’t looking, smiling faintly to herself as a warmth spread through her. 

As she finally drifted off into silence, she turned her head to look at Kara, a resigned look on her face as she gave her a surprisingly tender look. Face to face, they were quiet for a moment, and then Lena cracked a hesitant smile.

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone half of that before. Odd, isn’t it? A stranger knows more about me than my own family. I suppose that makes you anything  _ but _ a stranger.”

“Sometimes it’s easier to be honest with someone we don’t know,” Kara murmured, “that way we don’t have to face their judgement every day.”

“Hm, that’s a fair point. I’m not sure I trust strangers with my secrets though, and everyone seems to judge my these days.”

“Well it’s a good thing I’m anything but a judgemental stranger,” Kara quietly quipped, eliciting a laugh from Lena, before it faded off into a sigh.

They stayed on the floor for what felt like forever. They had no concept of time as they lay there, finding it uncomfortable and hard, but growing too tired to care much. It was almost cozy in the darkness, the warmth of the light creating a halo of yellow around them, and they were so close that Kara could feel the warmth radiating from Lena, and the other woman could no doubt feel it in return.

Time was creeping towards midnight as they lay on the floor, although they were unaware of the fact, lost in their thoughts and slipping in and out of consciousness without seeming to realise it, a tiredness seeping into their limbs as they limply stared at the ceiling. Sometimes one of them would quietly speak, the other murmuring in response as they pulled themselves back from the edge of sleep to listen. It was both boring and somewhat relaxing, with no pressure for them to be anywhere or do anything. In the tiny supply office, they simply just existed, side by side, with no expectations and nothing to do but wait. They’d long since given up being impatient for a rescue, and they were both starting to think that it wasn’t so bad.

With a jolt, Kara’s drooping eyelids shot open to stare up at one of the square panels of the ceiling, a stray thought having made itself heard, and she climbed to her feet with a groan, her tired muscles protesting at the sudden movement. Sitting up, Lena blinked owlishly up at her, forehead creased with puzzlement.

“What is it?”

“The ceiling!” Kara replied in a hushed voice, tentative to break the peaceful quietness of the room, even though it was just the two of them. “The panels. They’re separate pieces. We can lift one and crawl through to the open office space near the emergency staircase.”

Slowly climbing to her feet, Lena braced her hands on her hips, tilting her head back as she stared up at the ceiling above them. It was  _ far _ above them, being in an office building with tall ceilings, and a regretful look crossed her features as she met Kara’s excited eyes.

“Unless you can fly, I don’t think we’ll be able to reach the ceiling.”

Choking on a laugh, Kara gave her a disconcerting look, checking to make sure that Lena was still none the wiser, although Kara wasn’t sure how she would’ve tipped the other woman off anyway, and she glanced around. It would be a simple thing for her to float up to the panels, gently slip one aside and crawl into the ceiling. But if she was going to expose herself like that, she should’ve just forced open the thick, steel doors and been done with it. They would’ve been freed hours ago.

“The counters!” she quietly exclaimed, lumbering over to it and hopping up onto one of them, beaming down at Lena, who scrambled for their things, before hesitantly climbing up beside Kara. Steadying her with a gentle touch to her elbow, Kara graced her with a quick smile, before she looked up, tongue between her lips as she stared at the panels with a serious look on her face. Reaching up, her fingertips were just a few inches shy of the panels, and she hummed in frustration at the fact. “I can boost you up again,” she offered, looking down at Lena.

A wary look on her face, Lena bared her teeth as she cringed slightly, “um, sure, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to lift you.”

Waving her concerns aside, Kara gave her a cheerful look, hope blooming to life inside her, “it’ll be just like in the elevator, you’ll see.”

Hesitantly agreeing, Lena dropped everything onto the counters and let Kara pick her up again, and Kara grinned up at her, trying to instill some sense of trust and encouragement in her boss as she held her tightly around her thighs, holding her up with ease. Slowly raising her up towards the ceiling, she watched as Lena’s palms met the square panel and gave it a tentative push, sending a shower of dust down as it budged slightly, before giving it a more solid one, easing the panel up and sliding it across to reveal a dark hole inside. With her phone in hand, Lena lit up the crawl space above, her voice eerily echoing as she ordered Kara to boost her the rest of the way up.

Kara watched as a pair of bare feet disappeared through the hole, following after a pair of pale legs, and she listened to the shuffling above her, bracing herself for the possibility of Lena coming crashing down through another panel. Much to her relief, her pale face loomed above the dark hole, dimly lit by her phone light further inside, and she smiled down at Kara, bracing herself with one arm and reaching down through with the other. Quickly passing their belongings up, Kara watched them disappear into the space one by one, and then it was her turn. Reaching up to take Lena’s hand, she braced her feet against the wall and tried to take as much pressure off Lena as possible, until she got hold of the edge of the empty square, dangling by her fingertips, and started to pull herself up, making a show of it, much to her own grim amusement. 

Panting for effect, she knelt hunched over on the thin metal separating each panel, gingerly balancing her weight, and looked around, taking in the wires snaking along the ceiling in thickly tied bundles, and the dense layer of dust, disturbed in places by Lena’s scuffling around. 

“Which way?” Kara asked, her voice close yet echoey in the space, her nose itching from the smell of dust and Lena’s strong perfume. 

Gauging their relative position in the building, Lena handed Kara her bag and set off in one direction, with Kara carefully following behind. Soon enough, they were covered in a thick layer of dust and dirt, sneezing every few feet, and their eyes were red and sore, and not just from the lack of sleep, and in Lena’s case, effects of red wine. It was slow going, both of them wary of the fact that they could fall through the ceiling if they misplaced a hand or foot, but they made progress through the endless crawl space between floors. Kara was still congratulating herself when Lena placed a hand slightly off the edge of the thing beam of metal, tipping precariously to the side. 

With a small cry of alarm, Kara reached for her, stretching out to grab her, and overbalanced as Lena corrected herself, leaving the blonde reaching for thin air. With a crack, Kara’s hand went straight through the panel, and momentum forced her to keep going, until she was up to her shoulder, cheek pressed against the dust, listening to the groaning, splintering sound of the panel. Before Lena could finish calling her name, the ceiling panel cracked and Kara fell through.

A cold hand grabbed her ankle, and she stared up in shock, her eyes wide with surprise as she found herself peering up at Lena, whose face was pale with fear. Tendons standing out on her forearm, Lena ground her teeth together, her fingers tightly gripping Kara’s ankle, and she grunted as she tried to keep hold of her. But even with both hands, she was slipping forward, slowly inching further and further out of the hole. Hair streaming down towards the carpeted floor of an open office area, Kara was far from worried about her own safety, and was busy wondering how she could convince Lena to let her go. Even a human could survive a fall of a few feet, and she could feign bruises and aches for the sake of it.

“Well, I guess we’re making a stop,” Kara weakly joked, her words coming out a little choked as she hung upside down, face turning redder by the second. “You can let go, Miss Luthor.”

Spluttering, Lena heaved against her leg, and Kara bit back a sigh. “You could seriously hurt yourself!”

“It’s a few feet,” Kara protested, her arms limply hanging with gravity, her fingers a few inches above the ground. “Look, I can almost reach the floor anyway! I’ll be fine. Either I fall, or we both do. You should save yourself a few bruises and-”

With a loud thud, she landed amidst the rubble of the fallen ceiling panel as Lena’s strength gave out, coughing as a cloud of dust rose around her. Delicately pushing herself up, she cradled the shoulder she’d landed on first, praying that she hadn’t just left a suspicious hole in the floor, and looked up at Lena’s face high above her. She couldn’t stop the loud laugh that tore from her lips at the white face with the hand clapped over her mouth, eyes fearful and guilty, as if it was Lena’s fault for not being able to lift a person up by the ankle. Giving her a thumbs up, Kara smiled.

“All good, boss! Your turn.”

_ “My _ turn? Kara, are you insane? I’m not  _ jumping _ from here.”

“I’ll catch you,” Kara assured her, a persuasive look of innocence on her face as she climbed to her feet, dusting her hands off and holding them up, “just put your legs through first and dangle from your fingertips. I’ve got you, I promise. If I don’t, you can fire me. No hard feelings.”

A begrudging look on her face, Lena grumbled softly to herself, before dropping their bags through, deftly snatched out of the air by Kara’s nimble hands, and safely set aside, before Lena followed Kara’s instructions. Arms open expectantly, Kara waited with a stern look on her face as Lena lowered herself through, until she was low enough for Kara to grab her legs and quietly order her to let go. Arms tightly winding around Kara’s neck, Lena squeezed her eyes shut as she was lowered to the ground, only opening them again when her bare feet were firmly planted on the tiled floor. Opening one green eye, she looked up at Kara, before the other one fluttered open and she let out a quiet laugh of embarrassment. 

“Well, your job is safe for now.”

Quietly chuckling, Kara looked around the place, taking in the dark shadowy shapes of desks, chairs and computers with interest. A beam of yellow light cut through the darkness as Lena illuminated the nearest desk. A row of drawers ran down one side, and Lena walked over to it, pulling the top drawer open and shining a light inside. Letting out a sound of triumph, she plucked something from inside and held it up for Kara to see, a smug smile on her face.

“Trail mix!”

Scoffing, Kara gave the bag a look of thinly veiled disgust,  _ “that’s _ what they’re hiding in their secret work stash? Surely there’s something better.”

Shrugging, Lena poked around in the drawer, coming up empty handed, before she moved onto the next one, until they’d all been searched. Walking towards the next desk, she opened their drawer too, and Kara paused for a moment, a feeling of guilt creeping up on her.

“Should we really be going through their things? I mean, it feels a little like stealing.”

Laughing, Lena arched an eyebrow at her, “technically I have the right to confiscate anything off my employees, but if it eases your conscience, we can leave a little note.”

Smiling, Kara took the pen and notepad proffered a moment later, writing a quick apologetic note as Lena triumphantly came up with a soft Twix and an open bag of candy canes. She moved onto the next one, her phone lighting the way, and Kara dutifully followed after her, carrying the food they’d looted from Lena’s employees, watching the pile grow larger with Christmas gifts shared around that had been left at the office. Lena left a courteous note in each drawer they took something from, especially grateful for the woman packing a bottle of whisky, and they ended up sitting at two desks facing each other, their bounty piled high in the middle. There were Christmas cookies and mince pies, overlooked for the moment, in favour of the chocolate, candy and chips, as well as a few odd other snacks that they were a little wary about. 

Lena also scrounged up a few company laptops, bypassing the security screens and keeping the darkness at bay a little as the screens created a circle of light surrounding them. It was still eerily quiet as they ate though, passing the whisky back and forth, and Kara laughed as Lena handed her a mint from the pile with a droll smile. Her red lipstick was mostly worn off, hair tousled, and her coat was covered in a thick layer of dust. Kara didn’t even want to think about what she looked like; she could still feel the gritty plaster on her tongue from the ceiling panel.

“Your coat is ruined,” Kara said with a dour look on her face, looking disappointed as she opened the mint wrapper and popped it in her mouth. It didn’t mix well with the rich flavour of the whisky, but Lena gave it to her, so of course she was going to eat it. “God, I don’t even want to see a mirror right now. Poor rudolph looks bad enough as it is.”

Brushing her concerns aside, Lena snorted, “it was last season anyway, and you look … quite funny actually. I wasn’t expecting to spend Christmas Eve with a dust covered, reindeer sweater wearing, adventurous employee, I’ll tell you that.”

“Happy to be of service,” Kara dryly replied, raising the bottle of whisky and tipping it in her direction, before taking a sip, “hey, is there any music on the laptops? Maybe something festive?”

With a humourous look on her face, Lena quickly set about going through them all, coming up empty on all but one of them. She let out a quiet laugh as she looked up at Kara, her face glowing white from the light of the screen, a lopsided smile curling her lips as she raised her eyebrows slightly.

“This one has a lot of eighties pop.”

“Even better,” Kara enthusiastically agreed.

With a shake of her head, Lena clicked play on a random song and sound flooded the room. Kara found her spirits higher with a stash of food and some fun music, and rummaged through one of the drawers of the desk she was behind, pulling out paper, scissors and a stapler, starting to cut strips out of it. She could feel Lena watching her, and after a few moments, she looked up to give her a wide smile, handing her a stack of paper. Setting down a half eaten mince pie, Lena took the paper with a suspicious look on her face, and found a pair of scissors in her own drawer, eyeing Kara’s work, before silently copying it.

Sitting at their respective desks, cutting paper into strips and folding it to cut little snippets out of, they chatted away, laughing and picking at the collection of snacks they’d managed to scrounge up from the other employees’ desks. Popping a jellybean in her mouth, Kara laughed at a story Lena was telling as she made a loop out of one of the strips of paper, picking up a stapler and stapling the ends closed together. Looping through another piece, she stapled those ends together too, on and on, until she had something resembling a chain. Arms stretched out, she proudly held it up for Lena to see, and the CEO scoffed as she rubbed at her forehead.

“Is this really what we’ve been doing this whole time? Making a paper chain?”

“It’s a classic Christmas decoration trick!” Kara protested, “we used to make them in school every year, while watching Christmas movies. Surely you did the same?”

Letting out a sharp laugh, which led Kara to believe that she had in fact not, Lena gave her a dour look.  _ “I _ went to a Catholic boarding school, and the sisters led us to believe that it was  _ imperative _ that we spend the time before the holidays devoted to worshipping Jesus. We spent most of our time in mass, getting in some extra penance and shit, but I think most people just slept through it, to be honest. It was better than work, at any rate.”

“Hm, interesting. You never took me as the good Catholic girl type.”

Lips twisting up into a wry smile, Lena arched an eyebrow, “when did I say I was  _ good?” _

Spluttering slightly, Kara felt her cheeks warm, and she reached for another piece of paper, scrambling for something to say. “So you never made snowflakes either then? Or gingerbreads and snowmen holding hands?”

Making a choked sound of surprise, Lena gave her a pointed look, “no, Kara, I did not, in fact, learn this very important life skill. Will you please teach me?”

Rolling her eyes, Kara tutted, before folding the paper into quarters, and then halved it again and again, until she was holding a triangle. Holding it up for Lena to see, she took a pair of scissors to it, snipping out sections and making the edges patterned, before she unfolded it with a delighted look on her face. “See! A snowflake.”

Making a sceptical sound, Lena narrowed her eyes at it, before stubbornly undertaking the task of making her own. Hers was a lot more symmetrical than Kara’s, the snipped pieces more precise, and she looked slightly smug as she held hers up for Kara’s inspection, looking slightly pleased with herself when she earned Kara’s approval. 

On and on it went, until they had long chains coiling on the floor, and the desks were littered with snowflakes and pages of gingerbread men holding hands, which Kara had drawn different facial expressions on. They took turns drinking from the bottle of whisky and sharing the snacks, passing packets of chips and candy back and forth, taking the edge off the hollow feeling of hunger, and before long, Lena started growing a little bit tipsier. There was a rosy look about her, her cheeks flushed from the alcohol, and her words were coming more easily, her coldness receding as a frank, yet witty personality rose to the surface. Kara found herself laughing more and more, enjoying seeing this other side of the young CEO. She imagined it wasn’t a side that Lena showed to many people, and silently vowed to herself that she’d keep it secretly to herself. It made her feel warm inside to have this secret person in her head; she’d never be able to look at Lena the same after that night.

Climbing to her feet, Kara carefully bundled up a paper chain in her arms and jerked her head for Lena to come with her. “Come on. Bring some tape too.”

Unused to being bossed around, Lena’s lips parted slightly in surprise, but she quickly complied, grabbing the tape and scrambling after Kara. The longest of their paper chains was a few dozen feet, and Kara walked all the way over to where the desks gave way to a broad expanse of windows, taking the time to note that the rain had stopped. In the furthest corner, she climbed up on a desk, letting the paper chain tumble to the floor, coiling like a snake, she kept one end in her hand and held it up as high as she could, just shy of the ceiling.

“Tape, please.”

Quickly tearing off a piece, Lena handed it up to her, and Kara stuck the end to the window. Slowly, but surely, the taped their handmade decorations in place. The walls and windows were covered by the end of it, and most of the private cubicles were decked out too. The room looked like it had been taken over by a classroom of middle schoolers, anxiously waiting for the holidays to begin as they bided their time making arts and crafts projects in class. With a last touch, Lena painstakingly shredded a stack of paper into tiny little pits, mostly while she watched Kara tape up rows of snowmen holding hands, large snowflakes, and childish drawings of Santa and christmas trees, and climbing onto a desk, swaying precariously in her drunken state, she threw handfuls of white confetti in every direction. 

Laughing, Kara helped her, adding a dusting of fake snow to the office as a final touch, slyly using her freeze breath to create a gentle current to make them drift and eddy across the room, spreading out across the keyboards, desks and chairs. Whichever floor they were on, the staff members were in for a pleasant surprise when they returned from the holidays, or at least Kara hoped it would be pleasant. Tossing the last handful of confetti out across the room, watching it swirl as it floated down to the tiled floor, Kara smiled proudly as she braced her hands on her hips.

“I’ve always loved decorating, you know,” she confided in Lena, “for Christmas, Halloween, even school dances. I was on the prom committee and I got to make all the banners and balloon arches.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“You sound as if you’ve never done any of those things,” Kara quietly laughed, jumping down off a desk and dusting off her hands.

Shrugging from where she was lounging in her desk chair again, Lena gave her a half-hearted smile, “that’s because I haven’t.”

_ “What?! _ You’ve  _ never _ decorated a Christmas tree before? Or, like, carved a pumpkin? Didn’t help out with prom?”

Shaking her head, an amused look crept up on Lena’s face as Kara spluttered, an aghast look on her face at the horror of it. “Nope. My mom used to get the staff to set the tree up, strict Catholic teachers who were adamant that Halloween was for the devil and his worshippers, and I didn’t go to prom.”

Ticking them off her hands one by one, Lena’s smile grew with the increasing look of dismay on Kara’s face. “What, you didn’t go to prom with your friends?”

“Well I’ve never had any friends, so no,” Lena shrugged, the words holding no bitterness or sadness, but said so simply, as a fact, that Kara couldn’t help but pity her.

“It’s okay,” she murmured, “I’ll be your friend.”

A wry smile curled Lena’s lips, and she gave Kara a curious look, her eyes sparkling with mirth. “Friends? It was only a few hours ago that we were complete strangers. This relationship is moving very fast, I must say.”

With a quiet laugh, Kara rolled her eyes, biting her cheek to keep a smile at bay, “at this rate, by the time we get out of here, I’ll be inviting you home to meet the family.”

Snorting, Lena gave her a dry look, her lips twitching, and her expression darkened for a moment as she gave Kara a questioning look, as if trying to figure out whether she was mocking her. And then her face softened again, and she carefully resumed her cutting, head ducked down, and dusty dark hair shielding her face from view.

Making a spur of the moment decision, Kara grabbed a fresh piece of paper, her tongue clamped between her lips as a crease formed between her eyebrows, and she folded the paper with deft movements, silently working on it as they fell into silence. It was only a few minutes before she was holding a cluster of clumsily folded paper roses, and she found paperclips in a little pot on the desk. Making a flimsy chain, she attached the flowers to it in a pale imitation of a corsage, and climbed to her feet. Rounding the desk, she cleared her throat and held out a hand to Lena, who looked up at her with a cautious look on her face.

“Lena, would you do me the honour of going to fake Christmas Eve prom with me?” Kara solemnly asked, fighting back a smile.

With a quick laugh, Lena stared up at her in wonder, before she laughed again, and was soon shaking with laughter as she looked up at the stoic Kryptonian. And then Kara couldn’t help but laugh at the pure sound of delight from the other woman, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she shrugged, her cheeks reddening slightly from the silly attempt. With a soft sigh, Lena finally stopped laughing and gave Kara a bewildered look, before slipping her hand into Kara’s waiting one and climbing to her feet. With a flourish, Kara held the flower bracelet out and Lena let her slip it onto her wrist with amusement.

Gently tugging on her hand, Kara dragged her away from the desks, into the empty space between the neat rows, the music supplying them with something to dance to, and with an anxious look on her face, Lena let Kara draw her in close. There was something quite thrilling to Kara, about holding her boss’ waist, being so close that she could feel Lena’s warm breath fanning against her neck, and she fought back a shiver as she held onto her hand tightly, feeling Lena’s other one gently settle on her shoulder. Slowly moving from side to side, they awkwardly danced, feeling shy and silly, but finding humour in it too, both of them fighting back smiles whenever their eyes met.

When the first song finished, Kara had expected Lena to pull back, but she continued turning in their slow, swaying circle, a peaceful look softening her face as her chin came precariously close to resting on Kara’s shoulder. It was almost as if she hadn’t even heard the song change, and Kara was all too willing to indulge her in another dance. The second one was coming to a close, and she was silently wondering to herself if they’d dance a third too, when Lena broke the fragile silence.

“Hey, Kara?”

“Mm?”

“Can you say my name again?”

Surprised by the question, Kara pulled back slightly, eyebrows rising and a question burning in her blue eyes. Still, she obeyed, tilting her head to the side as she looked into Lena’s eyes, her face and voice softening slightly as she spoke. “Lena.”

A fleeting smile crossed Lena’s lips, and she closed her eyes, her cheek coming to rest on Kara’s shoulder as she turned her head to the side, breath hot against Kara’s neck. “Thank you.”

Waiting for her to elaborate, Kara silently swayed for a few moments, before realising that she wasn’t going to, and her curiosity burned too brightly for her not to ask. “Why?”

Shakily laughing, Lena gave her hand a quick squeeze, where they were still joined. “No one ever seems to just say my name. It’s always Miss Luthor, ma’am, or Lena Luthor. I rarely get the pleasure of just hearing my name. No judgements attached to it, no professionalism, or recognition, just … me.”

“Lena,” Kara quietly murmured again, “it’s a beautiful name. It should be said more often.”

“Do me a favour, Kara; call me by it from now on.”

Pausing for a moment, Kara didn’t mention that once they were both freed, after they’d made it off the floor, and left the building, the magic of the adventurous night would end, like a burst bubble, and they’d be shocked back to the realities of their own lives. In the real world, their lives didn’t collide. There would be no more chances for Kara to call her by her first name, a touch of familiarity and warmth to it as they greeted each other as they climbed into the same elevator they’d drunk wine in when trapped, taking the other employees by surprise, and filling Kara with a smugness as Lena graced her with a rare smile. That wasn’t their reality. After the holidays, Lena would lock herself away in her office on the top floor, and Kara would be stuck doing her lab work, her research languishing away in some drawer as some fanciful wish. A sadness welled up inside her, but she couldn’t bring herself to turn down the favour. 

“Okay, Lena.”

They danced for one more song, before Lena pulled back, giving her a gentle smile, a tired look on her face as they stood close together, standing still as the first notes of the next song gently came to life. There was a look of genuine gratitude in her eyes as she looked up at her, and Kara felt a small tug in her chest, at the fact that something so silly as dancing with someone in a powerless office building on Christmas Eve had meant something to someone else. She couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to feel so alone all the time. 

“Thank you,” Lena said with a quiet laugh as she dropped their entwined hands, “I think … if I’d gotten to go to my real prom, I would’ve wanted to go with someone like you.”

Nodding, Kara stepped away from her, swallowing the lump that had rose in her throat out of nerves. There seemed to be a heavy feeling of tension in the moment, as if it was intimate, and secret, just for the two of them, and Kara felt slightly unsettled. She’d never become so attached to someone so quickly, finding herself having a deeper understanding of Lena than most of her friends, after only a few hours with her. It made her stomach twist nervously, almost as if their were butterflies trapped inside. 

Walking back over to their desks, Lena chose to sit on the floor, instead of on her chair, leaning back against the solid side of the desk with her legs stretched out before her, pale and grey with dust, bruises already forming on the pallid skin from crawling through the ceiling. Kara’s jeans were just as bad, she noted as she sat down beside Lena, leaning her head back against the side of her own desk. Legs stretched out, Kara let out a soft sigh as her body relaxed. Her eyes were burning with tiredness, her watch telling her that it was drifting towards three o’clock in the morning now, and she found herself growing restless from being trapped. What she really wanted was some sleep.

It seemed like Lena did too, because before either of them could even speak, she was drifting off, her chin dipping towards her chest and her breathing evening out. The effects of the whisky seemed to have taken its toll on her, and she was out cold before Kara could suggest that she lay down and make herself more comfortable. Grabbing her coat from the back of her chair, she draped it over Lena’s bare legs, making sure she was warm and snug, before tipping her head back, listening to the soft pop music still playing from one of the laptops.

She woke up with a jerk, groggily peering around in confusion as she took in the pitch black darkness of the place, momentarily forgetting where she was. And then she felt the warm breath against her neck, the steady heartbeat thudding beside her as a head lolled on her shoulder, hair tickling her jaw, and she looked down at Lena with surprise. The other woman was still peacefully asleep, and Kara smiled to herself as she took in their position, Lena having naturally gravitated towards her warmth. Still half asleep, she nestled back down, her cheek resting on top of Lena’s head, and let out a soft sigh, waiting for the sun to come up.

It was another hour before the sky outside started to lighten, the inky blackness greying in between the shadowy skyscrapers, now easily distinguishable from the night sky, and she perked up at the sound of a quiet ding, the grinding of metal on metal, and the hum of electricity as the power surged back to life. Her small jump had jostled Lena, and the other woman grumbled as she slowly sat up, frowning as she blinked away the last vestiges of sleep and took in her surroundings. Her eyes landed on Kara’s coat blanketing her legs, and the fact that she’d been sleeping on her employee’s shoulder, and she looked up at Kara with startled eyes, two spots of pink colouring her pale cheeks.

“Morning,” Kara whispered, giving her a secret smile, “the power’s back on.”

“The power’s back on?” Lena mumbled, before jerking herself to attention, green eyes wide and a frazzled look about her as she smiled, “the power’s back on!”

Jumping to her feet, Lena gathered up Kara’s coat, fished her heels out of her handbag and slung the bag strap over her shoulder, giving Kara an eager look as the blonde slowly climbed to her feet, glasses askew and a yawn threatening to break. Rubbing at her tired eyes, Kara looked around at the mess they’d created, picking up her bag and smiling to herself. Despite the fact that she’d been trapped and tragically missed out on Christmas Eve antics with her family, she found that her night wouldn’t be one she’d ever forget. It had been eventful and fun, even in the darker moments, and she turned to Lena with a warm look on her face.

Together, they slowly stepped over scattered confetti, ducked beneath strung up paper chains and rounded the desks, making their way towards the large steel doors, which had slowly parted, revealing a straight path to the elevators. Finding themselves feeling eager and energetic, despite the early hour of the day, and the fact that this was the end of their magical evening together, they walked towards it, and Lena quickly jabbed the button to call an elevator. Both of them sagged slightly with relief when the button lit up and dinged, before the doors parted, and Lena made a wry joke about the elevator breaking down again as they stepped inside. Nervously laughing, Kara hoped not, even though her time with Lena had been fun, and she was relieved when the elevator started lurching down to the lobby.

Stepping out into the cool air of the spacious lobby, they were greeted by the sound of surprise from the security guard, giving him tired smiles as they staggered towards the front doors, wishing him a merry Christmas as they passed by his desk. As they neared the doors, Kara let out a quiet exclamation of surprise, a tentative smile lighting up her face as she pressed a hand against the full length window, looking out at the rare sight of white dusting the road and the sidewalk.

“It’s snowing!”

“It’s been a night for rarities,” Lena softly murmured, a weary look on her face as she pushed the button to open the automatic doors and stepped out into the brisk morning air, with Kara close behind.

Outside on the sidewalk, breathing in the early morning air, she sharp coldness making their lungs burn, they looked up in amazement at the fine dusting of snow that fell, melting almost immediately upon the wet pavement, making the roads slushy. Their breath plumed before them as they looked around at the snatches of lavender and pink streaking the sky between the soaring skyscrapers, weak sunlight reflecting off all of the windows facing eastwards. Taking a deep breath, Kara flung her arms out wide, letting out a shaky laugh as she tipped her head back, her cheeks turning rosy in the cold, but her blue eyes bright with delight.

“God, I never thought I’d be so happy to be so cold,” Lena sighed, stamping her heeled feet as she sniffed, her hands buried deep in her coat pockets. Her eyes was sharp as Kara turned to look at her, but the smile on her lips faltered slightly, and a touch of regret crept onto her face, as if she was disappointed at her freedom. “Well, I suppose you’d best be getting home.”

Giving her a tired smile, Kara nodded, her body limp with exhaustion, “better late than never.”

“Thank you, Kara,” Lena said after a moment, a broodingly serious look on her face as she looked at her, “it might sound stupid to you, but … thank you for making my Christmas Eve less lonely. It was … eventful.”

“Merry Christmas, Lena.”

She reached out and touched Kara on the arm, a look of warmth in her eyes, almost bordering on fondness, as if she’d come to like Kara very much over the past twelve hours. There was no discomfort between them, and none of the professionalism from the start of their evening, and Kara found herself feeling a little bit sad at the fact that their night together had come to an end. It would be strictly business if they ever crossed paths again, and that was a big  _ if _ , seeing as they were tiers apart on the L-Corp hierarchy. 

Still, Lena gently squeezed her arm, and Kara’s expression softened at the gesture. “You too. I’ll see you at work.”

They stood facing each other for a few more moments, prolonging the moment for a little while longer, and Kara scuffed her shoe along the wet pavement. With another smile, she nodded, shoving her hands into her pockets as snowflakes drifted down to settle on her shoulders.

“Right, I’ll see you at work.”

“And for the record,” Lena said, taking a slow, meandering step backwards, “I love the sweater. I might have to get my own for next year.”

Lena gave her a last smile in farewell and murmured goodbye, before turning around and walking off, her heels clicking on the sidewalk. Frozen to the spot, Kara watched her go for a few moments, before letting out a pent up breath and taking a few slow steps backwards, drinking in the sight of her boss for a moment longer, before she turned around. She’d barely made it two steps, before she heard the clicking heels stop and race back towards her, a voice shouting her name.

“Kara! Kara, wait!”

Turning back around, her eyebrows rose expectantly as she hurriedly closed the gap between her and Lena. She smiled as the pink cheeked woman neared her, her chest heaving from the brisk jog, and she watched as Lena held out her coat, which had been folded over her arm, forgotten about in their delight at being freed from the building.

“I still have your coat.”

“Oh,” Kara murmured, giving her a soft smile, “thank you.”

Giving her a dimpled smile, Lena’s eyes crinkled at the corners, “I wouldn’t want you to freeze.”

Laughing at the ridiculous notion, Kara thanked her again and took the coat, shrugging it on so that she looked somewhat human, standing there unaffected in the rare snowfall. Thanking her again, Kara tied the belt up, and Lena waved her words aside.

Rubbing the back of her neck, Kara shyly ducked her head down, biting her lip as she struggled to speak. “Lena … would you- would you like to - I mean, only if you want to, you don’t  _ have _ to, that is to say, there’s no pressure to say yes - but would you … would you like to come to my apartment tonight? For Christmas dinner? I’ve got a few friends, and seeing as how we’re not strangers anymore, you’re more than welcome to join. There’s going to be too much to eat anyway, and there’ll be wine too, so you can still-”

Reaching out, Lena took hold of her hand, silencing her, and Kara raised her eyes from the floor, a flustered look on her face as she trailed off. Tilting her head to the side, Lena smiled up at her, filling Kara with warmth. “I’d love to.”

“Y-you would?”

“I would.”

“Oh … okay, um, good.”

“Just let me know what your address is and what to bring.”

Nodding, Kara chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip for a moment, before opening her mouth, hesitating as a sheepish smile graced her features. “Hey, Lena? What’re you doing right now?”

Cocking her head to the side, Lena gave her an coy look, a spark of intrigue in her eyes, “absolutely nothing, Kara.”

Face lighting up with a hopeful expression, Kara nervously wrung her coat in her hands. “Would you maybe want to come back to mine? My mom and sister will be there. We always make pancakes before opening our gifts. I just- I don’t mean to overstep, but you should probably eat a proper meal.”

“Pancakes?” Lena slowly said, a surprised look dawning on her face, and a look of genuine fondness for Kara. “I, uh, well, I- sure. On two conditions.”

“Oh?”

“Firstly, when you come back to work, you’ll accept a promotion to become my assistant on my cancer research.”

“Wha-” Kara spluttered, finding herself speechless as she tried to find the words to react. It was everything that she had ever dreamed of, and a feeling of unbridled joy filled her as she gave Lena a brilliant smile, nodding eagerly. “I don’t know what to say. I- thank you, Lena. Truly.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Letting out a shaky laugh, Kara raised her eyebrows slightly. “And the second condition?” 

Lips curling up into a smile, Lena’s eyes crinkled at the corners as she reached out to poke the bump where Kara’s reindeer nose was straining against her coat. “You have to let me borrow one of your fantastically hideous sweaters.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some of you asked for Christmas Day and other for New Year's so I compromised and now I'm gonna do both lmao

They walked through the quiet city, the streets remarkably quiet given the fact that it was Christmas Day, and both of them were happily enjoying their newfound freedom as they walked around piles of slush, their cheeks rosy as fresh snowflakes fell. Looking up, Lena marvelled at the sight. She’d moved to National City for a change, a fresh start after her brother’s actions, and the sweltering city on the west coast had been as far from Metropolis as she could get. But it was snowing, and she found herself charmed by the cold weather. Sometimes the city got so dry that it felt almost suffocating, and after the stuffy air of the office, it was welcomed. 

Away from the soaring skyscrapers in the middle of the city district, they passed by dark shopfronts, empty diners and still parks, everyone still asleep at home or already enjoying the festivities with their families. The only sounds were the wind, their footsteps and the rare car or night bus passing by, and Lena found herself feeling surprisingly comfortable with the silence. Or perhaps she was just so exhausted that she couldn’t even bring herself to feel uncomfortable walking in silence with someone she’d known for less than a day. In some ways, it felt like she’d known Kara for a lot longer - she knew more about Lena than anyone else. In her drunken state, she’d embarrassingly let herself become vulnerable around the blonde, and much to her surprise, she found that she didn’t even mind.

Kara stopped outside a red bricked building rising a few stories, and Lena followed her in through the front door, nearly walking into the other woman when she pulled up short. Turning around, Kara looked at Lena with amusement sparkling in her blue eyes, her lips twitching slightly as she fought back a smile. “How about we take the stairs this time?”

Letting out a surprised laugh, Lena arched an eyebrow at her and gestured towards the stairs, “by all means. The promise of pancakes is too good to risk.”

Scrunching her nose as she smiled, Kara walked towards the stairs and started to climb, and Lena wearily followed after her, walking the two flights of steps and coming to a stop outside a plain white door. Fishing her keys out of her bag, Kara jammed it into the lock, and paused, before the door was pulled open beneath her touch. Eyebrows rising in surprise, Kara’s dusty face split into a wide smile as she stepped inside, leaving Lena to creep forward, feeling a little awkward as she hovered on the threshold.

“Eliza! Merry Christmas!”

“Kara, where in God’s name have you been?” the older blonde woman exclaimed, holding her daughter by the shoulders as she gave her a once over, looking slightly aghast at Kara’s appearance.

Beaming at her, Kara shrugged out of her coat, hanging it up alongside her bag, and let out a loud sigh. “It’s a long story.”

Tutting, the older woman frowned as she gave her daughter a concerned look, before her eyes flitted over to Lena, who was quietly closing the door, trying to remain on the fringes of the conversation. Eliza opened her mouth, before she quickly shut it again, looking back over at Kara with a hundred questions at the tip of her tongue.

“When you didn’t show up at Alex’s, we got worried.”

“The power went out,” Kara started to explain, “we got stuck in an elevator.”

“We? We who? How did you-”

Smiling, Kara walked over to Lena, holding her hand out, until Lena realised that Kara wanted her coat to hang up. On the verge of telling her to just throw it in the trash, Lena quickly shed it and handed it over to her. “Me and Lena. This is Lena.”

A nervous smile flitted across Lena’s face, before she composed herself, a blank look of politeness on her face as she held a hand out to Kara’s mother. Looking mildly surprised, Eliza shook her hand, giving her a warm smile. “Lovely to meet you.”

She paused for a moment as she dropped Lena’s hand, giving her a puzzled look as she tilted her head to the side. “Aren’t you Kara’s- you’re Lena Lu-”

“Just Lena,” Kara quickly cut in with another smile.

Turning to look at her, Eliza let out a quiet sound of surprise, tutting as she brushed a hand over the knitted wool of Kara’s sweater. Her eyes grew a little wider at the dusty red nose, before she let out a quiet laugh, shaking her head with amusement. “Look at the state of you! What were you  _ doing _ in that elevator?”

“Oh, no, this is from the ceiling,” Kara happily explained.

“The cei- never mind,” Eliza said, a humorous look on her face as she rubbed Kara’s arm, “how about you take a shower and I’ll let Alex know you’re home?”

Nodding, Kara gave her a warm smile, moving further into her apartment, before she paused. Turning to look at Lena, who hung back, Kara politely offered up the chance for her to shower, and Lena looked down at her dirty dress, creased and rumpled from a night spent in it, and she gratefully accepted it, almost relieved at the chance to look more presentable. She’d never been so disheveled in front of someone before, let alone strangers, and she felt a little bit embarrassed, although her pride wouldn’t allow her to show it. Politely accepting, she followed Kara through the apartment, giving Eliza a small smile as she passed her by. Nervously flitting around her neat bedroom, Kara grabbed things from racks as she babbled nonsense, too fast for Lena to keep up with, and Lena looked around the place with interest, taking in the pastels, decorative pillows and a few canvases with paint smeared onto them. 

She was led out of the bedroom and ushered into a tidy bathroom, an armful of clothes placed in her arms, alongside a fluffy towel, and then the door was shut in her face with Kara’s muffled orders to take her time. Standing rooted to the spot for a moment, a look of surprise on her face, Lena tried to make sense of her employee’s rambling nervousness, before she came to the conclusion that Kara was a little flustered about having her boss in her apartment. Feeling a little sheepish, Lena set the clothes down in a safe corner and turned on the hot water, peeling off the tight, dirty dress and letting it pool on the floor. She smelled of alcohol and dust, and she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and choked on a sound of surprise, her eyes growing wide as she took in the state of her, wondering how Eliza had managed to greet her so seriously. Her hair was nearly grey, making her look nearly ghostly paired with her pale complexion, and she quickly stepped into the shower.

Dirt streaked off her body, disappearing down the drain in a swirl of hot water, and she gratefully tilted her face up towards the shower head, running her hands over her hair as it darkened with water. Helping herself to Kara’s soap and shampoo, she scrubbed herself clean, suds clinging to her rosy skin and rinsed the lingering taste of alcohol from her mouth, before turning the hot water off. Wrapped in the soft towel, she picked up the clothes that Kara had given her, feeling oddly wary at the thought of wearing someone else’s clothes, before she held up the christmas sweater and let out a surprised laugh. It was a fairisle pattern in red and green, reindeer, snowmen and snowflakes in white, and she hesitated for a moment, feeling the soft wool between her fingertips as she bit her lip, before she slipped it on. It was a better option than her crumpled up dress, and it had a faint floral smell to it, from the laundry detergent Kara used, even if she had to roll the sleeves up a little.

Emerging from the bathroom, she walked in on a hushed conversation coming to an end, feeling like she was intruding as she clutched her dress to her chest, a wary look on her face. Two blonde heads turned to face her, identical warm smiles on both faces, and she gave a hesitant one in return, slowly moving into the kitchen area.

“You look better,” Kara brightly said, before biting her lip as her eyes widened, “I mean, you just- you look cleaner. More refreshed. Less … dusty.”

Raising her eyebrows slightly, Lena watched with interest as Kara’s cheeks turned pink, finding that she liked the way she gently flushed whenever she got flustered. It was a genuine reaction, one that Lena found amusing and relieving, knowing that at least she’d always know what Kara was thinking and feeling. Her face was so easily readable that Lena would’ve felt bad for her if it wasn’t so endearing to watch her get all tongue tied as she tried to justify herself. 

“You still look like a ghost,” Lena said, smiling as she reached out to touch a finger to Kara’s sweater, the tip coming away grey with dust, before she rubbed it off.

“Right,” Kara said, a serious look clouding her face as she realised the state she was still in. Giving Lena a sheepish look, she gave her a small smile, “I’ll be back and then I’ll sort out pancakes.”

“No rush,” Lena said. 

And there wasn’t. She had all the time in the world, with nowhere else to be, and nothing to be doing. There were things she  _ could _ be doing, but they could wait. Her day was about to get a lot more interesting than she’d originally anticipated, and she was content to wait and see how it unfolded. The early hours of the morning had already been filled with excitement, and there had been the bracing walk through the quiet sitting, passing through places she’d never been on foot before, and she was curious to see how the rest of the day played out. 

Giving her a brief smile, Kara looked at Eliza for a moment, before turning around and walking towards the bathroom. Slowly walking over to one of the bar stools at the high table, Lena took a seat, placing her folded dress onto the wooden top, and listened to the faint sound of the shower turning on. Patiently waiting for Kara to come back, Lena snuck furtive glances at the older woman pottering around the kitchen, pulling things out of the cupboards as she idly hummed to herself. Turning around with a mug in each hand, she gave Lena a warm smile.

“Do you like hot chocolate, Lena?”

Blinking in surprise, Lena hesitated for a moment, a sheepish smile flitting across her face as she shrugged. “I- I don’t know. I’ve never tried it.”

“Well how about I make a cup and you can give it a try. Kara’s got tea and coffee if you don’t like it.”

Nodding, she watched as Eliza fetched milk from the fridge, and, when her offer of help was dismissed, she watched the other woman stir chocolate powder into the mugs. A short while later, the mug was set down in front of her, a few pink and white marshmallows floating on the top as they started to melt around the edges, and she quietly thanked Eliza, taking a tentative sip and finding that she liked it. It was a little too sweet for her liking, but it was good and warm, and it filled the hollowness that sugary snacks and whisky hadn’t been able to fill entirely. A warmth spread throughout her as she sat in the strange apartment, taking in the Christmas tree standing in one corner, covered in baubles and tinsels, and the decorations made out of colourful paper that were strung around the place. She had the sneaking suspicion that Kara had made those herself, and she smiled softly to herself at the thought of the blonde making them by herself one evening. It seemed like something Kara would do. 

That thought alone struck Lena as odd, and more than a little surprising. She barely knew Kara, yet the thought had come to her with so much conviction that she knew she was right in her judgement. It  _ was _ the type of thing that Kara would do, and Lena felt a peculiar feeling rise up inside at the new information. She’d never known anyone well enough to say with certainty that they would do a certain thing - except for her assistant, Jess, who would bring her a coffee at ten o’clock every morning, without fail. Lena wasn’t so sure that counted though. 

But in the short few hours that she’d known Kara, she’d developed and understanding of the other woman. The one who strung up an office with paper Christmas decorations, goofily invited Lena to a fake Christmas Eve prom to try and lighten the moment as they danced to eighties pop music, and wore silly sweaters for the holidays. There was an openness about her, an honesty that let her be read like an open book. Lena didn’t have to know her to know things about her; they were plainly visible just by looking at Kara, and listening to the frankness of her words. It seemed like she wouldn’t be able to lie even if she tried. 

Taking a sip of hot chocolate, Lena found herself distracted by trying to understand Kara. Were people supposed to be that friendly? So kind that they’d willingly offer up their home on a day usually exclusively reserved for family? No one that Lena had ever known had been so genuinely friendly. Business people were rarely selfless, usually too interested in their own self gain to see others as much more than competition. From her own experiences, all the CEO’s that she knew would sooner throw her under the bus to make a deal for themselves, their ruthless ambition leading them to try and knock her down a few pegs to make it easier for themselves. Lena liked to think that she still had a shred of humanity left though, making decisions based on morality, as opposed to how much money it would make her. It was the one thing the clung to, knowing that if she let go of that piece of her that wanted to do right, she’d be no better than the rest of her family. It was why she threw herself so deeply into her work, trying to make reparations, trying to prove that she was doing the things she did to help.

She spiralled into her silent brooding, vaguely aware of Eliza moving around the place, the clatter of pots and pans, cutlery rattling in the drawers and thinks being shifted on the counters, and leached the warmth from the ceramic mug as she zoned out. It had been a long time since she’d been without anything to do, her mind free to relax for a little while, and she found that she preferred distractions. Of course, she already knew that; it was why she spent so many hours on her research, working herself to the brink of exhaustion so that she wouldn’t have time to brood and wallow in self-pity and hatred. The hatred was reserved for her family, mostly, and she didn’t like to let it consume her. There was a part of Lena that feared that even letting the thoughts of them stoke the angry embers in her heart would set her on the path to turn into her mother, or worse yet, her brother.

A knock on the door finally pulled her out of her troubled thoughts, a small part of her feeling a little anxious, trying to concoct some believable story to tell Kara so that she could leave and go home to her bottle of wine. It would be an easier solution to her problems, to drink herself into a stupor, until she didn’t have the mental capacity to think about work or family. But she didn’t want to leave, not really. The truth was, Lena was scared that she’d be subjected to something so normal, so real, that it would cut deep to know that she would only be offered a small taste of that life, that kindness. One day with Kara and the hospitality extended to her would be more than she’d ever hope to have again, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted that taste of it, only to have it pulled out of her grasp when she left that night. Still, that knock disturbed her conflicted thoughts, and she turned to watch as Eliza walked over to the door, opening it to reveal a rosy cheeked brunette carrying a bulging bag.

Stamping her feet, the woman stepped inside, shoulders hunched as she rubbed her frozen hands, her eyes landing on Lena as she shut the door behind herself. Her brown eyes were still trained on her when she let Eliza kiss her affectionately on the cheek, and Lena averted her eyes at the casual maternal gesture, trying to remain as unobtrusive as she could while Eliza greeted who Lena presumed to be Alex, Kara’s much mentioned sister. 

Setting the bag down on the end of the high table, Alex rounded it, the flicker of movements visible to Lena out of the corner of her eyes as she waited for the greetings and vague grumbling about the cold weather to finish. It wasn’t that she was ignoring the latest arrival, it was just the fact that she was waiting for the hard stare, the flicker of cool familiarity in those warm brown eyes, and she wanted to put that off for as long as possible.

“I didn’t realise we were having guests so early,” Alex lightly said, her voice louder and clearly directed towards Lena, who tensed slightly in her seat, unsure whether the words were hostile or just a plain statement of surprise at the fact that a stranger was intruding on their breakfast.

“This is Kara’s … friend. Lena,” Eliza introduced her. 

Meeting the curious brown eyes, she slid off her stool and held a hand out towards the other woman. There was an accusatory look on Alex’s face as she shook Lena’s hand, and Lena felt her heart sink. There it was. “You’re Lena Luthor, aren’t you? Her boss?”

“Just Lena, apparently,” Eliza cut in.

With a tight smile, Lena nodded, dropping her hand and sitting back down on the stool. She picked up the mug of hot chocolate again and took a sip, enjoying the rich taste of the chocolate as she snuck glances at Alex, who was shedding a leather jacket and making herself at home. She ended up taking a seat across from Lena, eyeing her with interest.

“So … Kara was with you last night?”

“Yes,” Lena said, before realising the implications behind her agreement and wondering what innuendos Alex had been insinuating. “We got trapped in an elevator at my company. The power outage …”

“Right.”

There was something about Alex’s tone that made Lena flush slightly, as if she didn’t believe that they’d been stuck at the office, and she opened and closed her mouth, fiddling with the cup of hot chocolate. “She, uh, she was pretty upset that she didn’t get to make it to your place last night.”

Expression softening, Alex smiled, “yeah, she’s a sucker for Christmas time. She wears one of those God awful sweaters like that every year.” 

She gestured to the one that Lena was wearing, and Lena choked on a laugh, plucking at the front of the knitted sweater, as she smiled down at the pattern. “Yeah, this is hers. We got a little dusty climbing through the ceiling.”

“The  _ ceiling?” _

“Your sister is an adventurous sort, it would seem,” Lena wryly told her, her eyes sparkling with mirth. 

Snorting with laughter, Alex gave her a droll look, before giving Eliza a quick smile as her mother set a steaming cup of hot chocolate down in front of her too. “I’ll say,” she sighed, “sometimes a little  _ too _ adventurous.”

Finding herself relaxing as the conversation came easily, with no accusations or snide remarks about who Lena was, she picked her hot chocolate up again and took a big sip. Still, as they descended into silence, she caught the furtive glances Alex snuck her way, sometimes locking eyes with her, and finding it refreshing that the other woman brazenly held the stare, as opposed to her eyes flitting away, as if she hadn’t been casting curious looks at Lena. There wasn’t any animosity in those stares either, just plain interest, as if trying to figure out what a CEO might want with her little sister, and she couldn’t fault Alex for that. She just hoped that nothing sinister came of her thoughts, thinking that Lena was using Kara in some way, manipulating her like her brother might’ve in her stead. All she wanted was a good Christmas.

The shower cut off a moment later, and Lena felt the tension bleed out of her body, her shoulders relaxing as she straightened slightly in her seat. A flicker of amusement dawned on her at the fact that the thought of someone she’d known for roughly twelve hours joining them made her feel comforted, as if she wouldn’t be surrounded by strangers anymore, but it  _ was _ comforting. Kara had invited her, Kara wanted her there, and it made her a feel a little braver as she forced herself to relax under Alex’s watchful gaze.

“So, um, Kara tells me you work for the FBI,” Lena conversationally struck up, thinking that it would be a little uncomfortable for Kara to walk out into the heavy silence.

“She did?” Alex asked, eyebrows rising slightly in surprise. “What else did she say about me?”

Shrugging dismissively, Lena gave her a faint smile, “just the basics. We were trapped for quite a while.”

“Hm. She’s made no mention of  _ you _ before. Personally.”

Lips quirking up into something that resembled a more genuine smile, Lena gave Alex a wry smile. “No, I don’t suppose she would’ve. We only met last night, in the elevator. Although, we’ll be seeing more of each other now, I guess.”

“Why?” Alex asked, her tone demanding as she frowned slightly, a wariness glimmering in her eyes.

With a bright smile, Lena folded her arms over her chest, a slightly smug look on her face as she arched an eyebrow. “She’s been promoted.”

“Kara got promoted?” Eliza softly exclaimed from the kitchen, turning around with the large metal mixing bowl in her arms, a wooden spoon ceasing its stirring as she gave Lena a delighted look.

“What’re we talking about?”

Everyone turned to look at Kara, who was stepping into the open space, toweling the end of her wet hair, her skin pink and clean, and a snowman sweater paired with some jeans. The dark blue wool complimented the colour of her eyes, but Lena kept that observation to herself as Kara walked over to take a seat beside Lena.

“You got promoted?” Alex asked, a surprised look of pride on her face as she smiled at her sister.

Blinking slightly, a smile dawned on Kara’s face, her eyes lighting up as she eagerly nodded. “Oh, yeah! I did! Last night. Lena’s working on this amazing cancer research, and I was telling her about what I wanted to do with mine one day, and she asked me to help with hers! How amazing is that! I never thought something good would’ve ever come out of being stuck in an elevator, but I guess I was wrong.”

“You- you’re going to be working on your cancer research?” Eliza asked, her eyes widening slightly, “Kara, that’s- God, you’ve been talking about that for  _ years _ . This is great!”

Lena looked down at the warm hand that grabbed her arm as Kara pulled her closer, a smile so wide that it was almost maddening lighting up her face as her nose crinkled with happiness. “I know! And it’s all thanks to Lena.”

A hesitant smile flitted across her face as all eyes landed on her, and she shrank back from the looks on their faces, ranging from happiness, gratitude and surprise, curling in on herself slightly as she ducked her head and hunched her shoulders. It was an unusual feeling, to sit there as someone praised her, genuine warmth emanating from the women for the small kindness she’d done for Kara, even though she knew it was selfish in part - she would get a brilliant mind to help her with her own work, and perhaps a chance at having a real, honest friendship - and she felt her insides nervously twist as she tried to will them to turn the conversation onto another topic. 

It wasn’t that she’d never done anything good for people before - she had more foundations and charities she donated to than she could count, a children’s hospital, orphanages and wildlife sanctuaries - but she’d never been a firsthand witness to the kind of joy that helping someone could bring. Sure, she went to the galas and events, stood there while people clapped as she handed over a gigantic signed cheque, or presented her with an award for her charity, but she’d never seen the people she’d helped. It would’ve been easy to go to the hospital or orphanage and sit with the children, see what help her money brought them, but she couldn’t stomach the thought of her presence tainting little kids. She wasn’t made to sit at a small play table and watch sick kids show her the toys they had, or see orphaned children who wanted some attention. It had always been better to help from afar, and from the shadows as much as she could manage it, so that people couldn’t accuse her of trying to buy herself some popularity.

Awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck, she let out a shaky laugh, waving a hand at Kara to stop her thanks. “It was nothing, really. Besides, if your research is anything to go off, you’ll be more than deserving of it.”

“It’s going to be so much fun!”

Lena choked on a laugh of surprise at Kara’s exclamation, her voice so full of conviction and enthusiasm that Lena couldn’t help but stare at her with bewilderment, wondering where so much optimism could come from. She’d spent years in her labs, and she could say with certainty that she never would’ve called any of her time in them  _ fun. _ Sure, there were moments of victory, smug pride and satisfying triumph when she’d finished a project, or fixed something that was stopping a device from working properly, but it was never  _ fun _ . 

Yet as she stared at Kara, taking in the way she was fighting to keep still, her whole body buzzing with energy, as if she was itching to get started right then, Lena wondered if perhaps it could be fun. Maybe all she’d needed was the right partner to help liven the place up. Her other assistants were always so dour and serious, rushing to try and impress her, clamouring to be heard first and win themselves some of her hard earned praise, but Kara didn’t seem like the kind of person who needed her approval. She seemed excited about the work, not about working with the CEO, and although Lena felt like she should feel a little bit wounded at that, it was the work that mattered, and she felt like Kara was the right person for this. She hadn’t brought anyone onto this project yet, working at it alone, but she knew that she’d made a good decision here.

“Fun can wait,” Eliza gently calmed her daughter down, “first, how about we have breakfast and celebrate Christmas. Remember, no work today. For any of you.”

Lena jolted slightly as Eliza’s eyes landed on her, and she felt a guilty lump form in her throat as she was chastened, feeling like Eliza had known that she was trying to plan a way to creep out of the family affair and go home, presumably to do work. She wasn’t sure what Kara had told her mother during her shower, but it seemed like some gossip must’ve passed Kara’s lips, explaining how she’d managed to bring a stray CEO home with her. Lena knew that it would’ve been born from honest intentions, no doubt explaining that she had nowhere to go. The mere fact that Lena had been at the office on Christmas Eve could’ve tipped Eliza off to her priorities, and she was quick to nod her acquiescence, resigning herself to the fact that she’d have to sit through a lively Christmas Day and know that no matter how much she craved that kind of bond. It would be a one time thing. Lena resolved to treat it like an experiment, to observe the average family’s celebration of the holidays, and remain a third party to it all.

With that decision, she slipped off the stool and hesitantly walked into the kitchen, taking in the cluttered counters and the signs of frequent use in its pastel dish towels and spice racks of varying fullness. Her own kitchen was a shining mass of chrome and marble, not so much as a frying pan of knife left out on the counters. It made her feel like she was intruding to be in such a lived in place, the signs of its owner blatantly visible for everyone to see, from the easel with the first smears of paint spread across the canvas, to the few books neatly stacked beneath the TV stand, the potted plants and neatly arranged candles. Even the photos on the walls were all touches to liven up the place, and Lena was wary about making herself too at home in Kara’s apartment. 

Still, she offered up her help with breakfast, and was directed to a cupboard with plates and bowls, finding them eclectically matching, unlike her own standard matching sets. The differences between herself and Kara became even more glaringly obvious by being in the blonde’s home. She was cluttered and cozy, to Lena’s stark bareness and order. It made Lena feel a little disconcerted to think of those differences. It almost felt to her as if she had nothing to show for her life in her own apartment. The minimalistic artwork was bought, the flowers were always the same neutral bunch of plumerias on the kitchen table, everything was in monochrome shades, with no colour or life. If anyone walked in there, it would’ve been like walking into a hotel room, with the same sterile feeling, the lingering smell of cleaning products from her maid and the same undisturbed air about it. The only personal touches were her extensive collections of engineering, medical and business books in her private office, and the large alcohol collection hidden away in one of the kitchen cupboards.

Trying to remain detached, she quietly set the table, neatly placing a plate on the placemats, while Kara trailed behind her, adding a knife and fork to each side, while Alex fiddled with the staticky retro radio, filling the place with the fuzzy sound of Christmas carols. Lena nearly scoffed as the first few words came through, thinking them ridiculous, but she was starting to realise that perhaps the holidays  _ were _ ridiculous, and it was about enjoying how cheesy they were with people that you loved. At any rate, Kara seemed to be enjoying herself, her quiet humming following after her, and Lena bit her lip to hide a smile.

The smell of fresh pancakes were soon filling the air, a stack accumulating on a large plate, while Alex chopped fresh strawberries and banana, stealing her fair share of them in the process, while Kara made more hot chocolate and Lena set maple syrup and butter down on the table. A few minutes later, the four of them were sitting around the table, golden pancakes dripping with syrup and piled with berries, and Lena was quietly eating, savouring the taste of the sweet food, while she watched the easy way the family interacted with open interest. There was something so natural about the quick banter, the effortless laugher and teasing, the ever present smiles and the genuine affection in their voices whenever they spoke, and Lena found herself thrust into the midst of it. She was gently coaxed into the conversation too, no matter how much she tried to exclude herself, eventually giving into the Danvers’ warm curiosity as they asked her questions and tried to make her feel welcome.

Slowly, she unwound, her straight backed posture slumping slightly as she slouched in her chair, making herself comfortable. The pancakes were delicious too, a rare sugary treat for herself, and she savoured the sweetness of the maple syrup and the fluffiness of the golden brown stack as she slowly made her way through it. Much to her surprise, Kara put away three platefuls with ease from the neverending stack that materialised in the middle of the table whenever Eliza got up to check on them, and looked as if she was about to tuck into a fourth, before Lena caught Alex giving her an aghast look. With a sheepish look on her face, Kara’s hand latched onto her mug, and she gave Lena a sidewards glance, checking to see if she’d picked up on it. Busying herself with her own food, Lena pretended that she hadn’t, unsure of what that silent interaction had meant, but knowing that she was starving herself after missing out on a few meals yesterday.

She let Eliza grab her attention as she finished off her food, declining the offer of more pancakes as she explained some of her research to the older woman, answering a few questions about the company and trying to steer the conversation through safe topics, so as not to cloud the moment with talk of her family. Lena wasn’t stupid; she knew that they were bad people, but just this once, she was hoping that she could have a day without them complicating things. Eliza was too polite to broach any uncomfortable topics with her though, much to Lena’s intense relief. Managing to get breakfast out of the way without incident, Lena insisted on doing the dishes, washing them in the soapy water with a pair of sunflower patterned rubber gloves, while Kara dried them and neatly put them back where they belonged, giving Lena warm smiles whenever their eyes met. 

After helping wash up, she followed Kara over to the sofa, gingerly sitting down beside her and hugging one of the pillows to her chest as she watched Alex flick through the TV channels from her spot on the floor. She stopped at Kara’s instruction, and Lena tuned into the film about a green creature who hated Christmas, finding herself becoming invested in it and drawing more than one comparison between the Grinch and her own thoughts on the holidays. As much as she was enjoying the movie, her eyelids started to droop after ten minutes, her body sinking into the comfortable sofa and her eyes burning with tiredness. She’d gotten a few hours at the office, sitting side by side with Kara, but it hadn’t been comfortable or at all satisfying enough to take the edge off her exhaustion. The sofa was a different matter, the soft upholstery and comfortably stuffed seats making it all too easy for her to drift off to sleep before she could even stop herself.

Lena jerked awake at a banging noise, scrambling to her feet and scattering pillows and a thick knitted blanket as she blinked owlishly, looking around at the unfamiliar apartment. Weak sunlight filtered in through the large windows, the curtains standing open to let in a glimpse of the grey skies outside, and Lena rubbed at her tired eyes, her whole body feeling leaden, as if she’d slept for days. She couldn’t have been out for more than a few hours though; the sky was too light outside, and as she looked towards the kitchen, Eliza was in the midst of cooking Christmas dinner. 

“Oh sorry, sweetheart,” she sheepishly said, giving a tray a shake, before putting it back in the oven and taking off the floral mitt, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

Feeling a little bit embarrassed at the fact that she’d been sleeping, Lena cleared her throat and reached down to pick up the pillows, folding the blanket and neatly setting it over the back of the sofa, wondering who had kindly draped it over her while she napped. Alex was sitting in one of the armchairs across from her, feet propped up on the low coffee table separating them as she swilled red wine around in a glass, and Lena realised that Kara was nowhere to be found. She suddenly felt like an intruder, and needed something to busy herself with to feel useful, and slowly ambled towards the kitchen, running a hand through her dark, tangled hair.

“Can I help?”

Eliza gave her a kind smile, reaching out to pat her arm and usher her onto a stool set along the island counters. A moment later, while Lena was still shaking away the last dregs of sleep, a cup of steaming coffee was set down in front of her, and she gratefully picked it up, giving Eliza a small smile. The caffeine hummed through her as she watched the blonde woman carefully chop carrots and mash potatoes, waving away her offers to help. Lena wasn’t much of a cook, and she was secretly relieved that she wouldn’t have to add ruining Christmas dinner to one of her list of regrets, so she sat and watched, sneaking glances at Alex whenever she laughed at something on the TV, and checked the time on the watch strapped to her wrist. It was a little after two, and she couldn’t help but wonder where Kara was, her line of sight into the bedroom letting her know that she wasn’t sleeping.

She showed up five minutes later, letting herself in with a smile on her face, and all eyes turned to the door to watch Kara step inside, holding a paper bag safely in her arms. Turning the heat down on the stove, Eliza set a wooden spoon down and smiled at her daughter, taking in the bag with a wary look, before Kara pulled out two bottles of wine and set them down on the counter.

“Ah, good, you, uh, you got the wine then,” Eliza said.

Happily nodding, Kara hung her coat up beside the door and walked into the kitchen, wrapping her arms around Eliza’s waist as she looked over her shoulder, taking in the mountain of golden roast potatoes, her hand darting out to sneak one off the pile. Making a sound of surprise, Eliza shrugged Kara off as she laughed, tutting and giving her an admonishing look, before shooing her daughter out of the kitchen.

“Away from the food, Kara. There’ll be nothing left for anyone else if you keep picking at it.”

Grumbling as she pouted, Kara came to take a seat beside Lena, and Lena watched with amusement as Eliza hastily pulled out a loaf of bread and assembled a few sandwiches, setting a plate down in front of her, Kara, and another plate. She took that to mean that it was for Alex and picked it up, carrying it over to her and missing Kara scoffing down two sandwiches that Eliza threw her with her super speed, before she turned around and was met with an eye crinkling smile. By the time Lena made it back to her stool, Kara was taking a slow bite out of her own sandwich.

They ate in relative silence, with Lena listening whenever Kara conversed with her family, before making her way back over to the sofa with her cooling cup of coffee, sitting back down beside Kara and looking down in surprise as a blanket was draped over her lap. Looking up, she met Kara’s blue eyes, and felt her stomach lurch with an unfamiliar feeling, her lips twitching slightly as she gave her a hesitant smile. She was unused to such small acts of kindness, having someone care about whether she was warm enough and comfortable as she slept, and there was a part of Lena that wasn’t quite sure how to deal with that. That strangers would treat her better than her own family had. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging around, watching more Christmas movies, enjoying peppermint tea and snacking on a platter that Kara helped put together. Eating cheese and salami, Lena found herself getting invested in  _ Love Actually,  _ sneaking glances at Kara on occasion when she would notice her lips moving out of the corner of her eye, finding it secretly endearing how she knew the movie well enough to mouth the lines along with the actors, smiling at certain scenes as she sat with her eyes glued to the screen. It was almost as fun watching Kara as it was watching the movie, and Lena found the quiet background noises from the kitchen cozy as she sat bundled up beneath the blanket on the sofa, in her sweater smelling of freesia and fabric softener. It was the most relaxed she could remember being in a while, and she pondered the idea of a holiday for a few minutes, wondering if she’d been missing out.

At five o’clock there was a knock on the door, admitting a two men and a young woman, flowers, alcohol and pies brought in with them, and Lena watched with interest as Kara gave them warm hugs and they all made themselves at home, as if they were frequent guests at the apartment. Lena supposed that they were, given the fact that that’s what friends usually did, and the way that Kara had talked about them last night, she knew that they were close. She stood as Kara gestured towards her, a bright smile on her face.

“This is Lena.”

“Miss Luthor,” the young woman excitedly greeted her, holding a hand out, “I’m Nia Nal.” Shaking her hand, Lena gave her a small smile, looking at Kara when she started to speak.

“Nia works in Research and Development too! She’s a new intern,” Kara informed her, and Lena’s eyebrows rose slightly in surprise, although she realised that she really shouldn’t have been, considering the fact that Kara had mentioned the apple and cinnamon muffins that Nia said she was bringing for Christmas Eve. “And this is Querl! He works in the Engineering department. And Winn works in IT.”

Shaking hands, Lena warmly greeted both men, taking in the Christmas cardigan Winn was wearing, and Querl’s strange stance with his hands steepled in front of him. She gave them both hesitant smiles, and turned to Kara, lowering her voice slightly. “Is everyone coming an employee of mine? I imagine everyone likes to complain about their bosses, and I don’t want to spoil everyone’s fun.”

Letting out a snort of laughter, Kara gave her a gentle nudge, her nose crinkling as she smiled. “Don’t worry, this is everyone from L-Corp. There’s also my friend James though; he works at CatCo … which you also own. Ah. Well there’s always Alex and her boss.”

Snorting derisively, Lena gave her a morose look, “right, well I’m not sure I’m the FBI’s most loved citizen.”

“Eliza likes you.”

“I feel like your mom likes everyone.”

“Okay, that’s true, but I also like you, and it’s  _ my _ apartment so everyone has to be nice to my guest.”

Laughing, Lena shook her head, looking towards the door at the sound of another knock. It was the man she’d called James, and he’d greeted her somewhat icily, casting Kara an accusing look, but had refrained from commenting anything. Ignoring him, Lena had drawn herself up to her full height, accepted a glass of wine that Alex offered her, and found herself swept up in conversation with Querl. There was something a little off about him, and she didn’t want to pry too much, finding that she was enjoying her conversation with him anyway. He was odd in a funny way, and unbelievably smart. Lena couldn’t recall having such an intelligent conversation with someone in a long time, relishing the fact that she had someone to keep up with her as they got deep into the science. 

Their conversation came to a close at the arrival of their final guest, Alex’s boss, who introduced himself as J’onn, and Lena instantly felt guilt coil in her stomach, as if she’d done something wrong. Authority figures never made her feel at ease, and she found herself finding a quiet corner, catching Nia giving her furtive glances, as if trying to pluck up the courage to come and talk to her. If she was an intern, then that put her at the very bottom of the barrel of employees, yet Lena was intrigued, and after the pleasant surprise of meeting Kara, she was curious to find out what her other employees were like. Giving her a tentative smile, Lena walked over to the sofa where she was sitting, and paused, before quietly asking if she could join her.

Looking a little shocked, Nia eagerly nodded, ducking her head shyly as she sat in the presence of the CEO. Feeling a little shy herself, but telling herself that she’d spent so many years as they head of head of her company that it was ridiculous to feel awkward around one of her own employees, who looked a little peaky sat beside her, Lena gave her an encouraging smile. With a single question about how she was finding her internship so far, Lena opened the floodgates to a babbling conversation she was having trouble keeping up with, quietly laughing as she blinked in surprise, finding the young girl’s rambling quite similar to Kara’s. Winn joined them a short while later, and the three of them chatted away, Kara coming to top up their wine glasses, her hand gently resting on Lena’s shoulder for a moment as she checked up on her, and Lena found herself overstepping the line she’d drawn for herself. It was hard  _ not _ to like these people, and even James ventured a few cordial questions about future plans for CatCo, and Lena was enjoying herself too much to even bother remaining aloof. It was one night; what harm could it do?

The sky grew dark outside, and they all sat down around the table, with Lena wedged in between Kara and Alex, Querl sitting across from her, and the turkey that she didn’t recall Eliza cooking sitting right in front of her. She thanked Kara as she handed her a bowl of potatoes, passing a gravy boat to her in return, and helped herself to a bit of everything. After just one bite, she had to admit that it was one of the best roasts she’d ever had, prepared with care and love and many hours in the cluttered kitchen, and she truly appreciated the home cooked meal as she listened to the conversation flow back and forth, across the table and up and down. 

Once the plates were scraped clean, and most of the bowls empty, everyone was too full to even think about dessert for the moment, and made themselves comfortable in various positions around the coffee table, while Lena snuck into the kitchen to give Eliza a hand with the dishes. This time she fought her on it as Eliza tried to usher her over to where everyone was laughing and drinking, but Lena insisted. J’onn came to help them as well, and the three of them worked in companionable silence, scraping plates, washing them, drying and stacking. They worked efficiently, and soon enough, the kitchen was clear of any signs of dinner, the leftovers neatly packed away in Tupperware containers and the counters relatively bare, save for the abundance of alcohol and spread of pies and cakes. 

The other guests had wandered in and out of the kitchen while they worked, sent back to the sofas with wine, cookies and whisky, and once everything was cleaned up, Alex poured Lena a double scotch as she made herself a drink, and dragged her back to the party. Resigning herself to the fact that she wasn’t going to be allowed to linger on the outskirts of the party, she found herself sitting on the floor, legs tucked up beneath her, nursing her drink as she sat beside Kara. She could feel the warmth radiating from her, and it was hard not to lean into it, and Lena had to make a conscious effort to shift away from her every few minutes, before she found herself practically sitting on top of Kara. There was something about her that Lena found so compelling, and she found it hard to resist the charismatic kindness and the way her eyes lit up whenever she looked at Lena, checking to make sure she was okay.

For all of her worries, Lena found herself enjoying the evening, with Christmas carols playing in the background, jokes and banter exchanged between the friends with familiar ease, and she marveled at the feeling of being included in that. She never felt like an outsider, no matter how many jokes flew over her head, and she was content to just watch, sipping her scotch and feeling the palpable love the friends shared for each other. It was nice to see, and it made her feel less alone to bask in it. Until the games came out, and chaos ensued.

First up was pictionary, with the artwork shoddy at best from most of them, tensions rising as people frustratingly tried to emphasise their drawings, urging their team to guess properly. It was funny to watch Alex bite back her annoyance as the timer ran empty and Winn, James and J’onn were left to suffer the glower thrown their way. Next came charades, and no matter how much Lena tried to object, she found herself paired up with Kara, watching as person after person plucked a folded piece of paper out of a hat and reenacted what was written on it. With growing unease, Lena anxiously awaited her turn, feeling a little more emboldened when she guessed Kara’s song right, the answer being Dancing Queen. When it was her turn, she felt her face flush red with embarrassment as she was cheered to her feet, feeling a little ridiculous in her festive sweater as she stood in front of the bunch of strangers and plucked a folded piece of paper out of the hat Eliza held up to her.

Opening it up, she read the words  _ The Big Sleep _ and was relieved that she knew the book and it wouldn’t be too difficult to act out. Going through the motions she’d seen others use, she told Kara it was a book and three words long, before going straight to the third, pressing her hands together and resting her cheek on them, eyes closed as she pretended to sleep. Kara watched her with wide eyes, a competitiveness that Lena didn’t know about rising to the surface as she knelt in front of her, her whole body coiled with anticipation.

“Sleep!”

Nodding, Lena held up two fingers, smiling, and then started gesturing widely with her arms, trying to capture the sense of something being big.

“Wide? Circle?” Kara shouted at her, her whole body jittery as she couldn’t sit still. “Big? The Big Sleep!”

“Yes!” Lena exclaimed, relief washing over her as she laughed. 

Jumping to her feet, Kara threw her arms up, laughing as she tipped her head back. Unable to hold back her own laugh, Lena shook her head in amusement, her laugh cutting off a moment later when Kara wrapped her in a bone crushing hug. Feeling the air forced out of her lungs, Lena froze for a moment, her laughter still dying on her lips, and she somewhat hesitantly brought her own arms up to return the hug. Kara was warm and solid beneath her, and some of the tension bled out of her at the brief contact, so unfamiliar yet so easily given. Kara couldn’t know how long it had been since someone had touched her so intimately, and it was pathetic to her to even think of a quick hug as intimate, but to her it  _ was. _ When Kara let go barely a heartbeat later, Lena’s smile was somewhat strained, and she quickly sank back down onto the rug, picking up her glass and draining it as an uneasy thrill ran through her.

They wrapped up the game shortly later in order to serve up dessert, and Lena watched as everyone crowded in the kitchen, letting Eliza serve them up slices of different cakes and pies, and she slipped away for a moment, using the distraction to sneak into the bathroom and take a break. It was surprisingly overwhelming to be around so many kind and welcoming people, generously folding her into their circle of family and friends, and for some unspeakable reason, she found her eyes prickling as she stood in front of the sink, staring at her pale face in the mirror. Angrily squirting some hand soap onto her palm, she aggressively washed her hands as she tried to swallow the lump in her throat, the prickling feeling giving way to a burning at the back of her eyes, and before she could stop herself, her eyes were filling with tears. 

Grateful for the sound of the running water, she let out a quiet choked sound, finding a heaviness weighing down on her shoulders as her heart ached. She hadn’t realised how much she’d wanted friends like this, a family like this, until she’d been swept up into Kara’s after her employee had taken pity on her, and it stung just a little to be surrounded by so many people and still feel the bite of loneliness, knowing that it was all just temporary. Tomorrow she’d wake up in her cold bed, to an empty apartment, with a two day old meal left in her fridge by a chef she never saw, a bottle of wine her only comfort in the stale apartment, and she sniffed as she ran warm water over her hands, watching suds swirl down the drain.

Clearing her throat, she shut off the water and dried her hands on the towel, taking a moment to try and make her wild hair look a little more presentable, blinking her tears away as she tried to will her eyes not to look bloodshot. The last thing she wanted right now was for everyone to think that she’d been crying, and she was starting to wonder if perhaps she could get away with saying she’d had too much to drink. Perhaps she could even duck out early and cut her losses now, instead of later. It wouldn’t make a difference; in fact, it would be easier. But she couldn’t bring herself to leave, and she  _ was _ a little tipsy, having drunk too much wine, scotch and whisky over the course of the evening. Her whole body felt warm and full from all the food and kind company, and she wasn’t ready to let that go just yet. She didn’t want to go home and let her weary body collapse onto the bare bed as loneliness crept up on her and filled her with emptiness where Kara’s presence had made her feel full. 

A piece of mistletoe had been pinned above the mirror, and Lena pulled it down, giving it a troubled look, thinking about how Christmas was for people with loved ones, and not for the likes of her when a knock on the door made her stomach lurch. She quickly pulled the hem of her sweater down and wiped at her eyes, before she pulled it open, coming face to face with Kara. The sight of the other woman didn’t quite bring her the comfort she’d been expecting, and she watched as concern dawned on Kara’s face. Much to Lena’s surprise, she pushed her way into the bathroom and locked the door behind her, never once taking her eyes off of Lena, and Lena couldn’t meet her steady stare, looking down at the tiled floor instead as she twisted the hem of the sweater in her hands.

“Are you okay?” Kara asked, her voice laced with concern and mild surprise at finding an ashen looking Lena hiding in her bathroom. “I didn’t mean to-”

“I’m fine,” Lena quietly assured her, muttering to keep her voice steady, “just too much wine, I think. I should probably get going.”

She peeked up as Kara cocked her head to the side, a solemn look on her face as she gave her a searching look. “You don’t want to stay for cake? I saved you some raspberry cheesecake before it all got eaten, just in case you liked it.”

Lena’s face softened as she gave her a tight smile, reaching out to gently touch Kara on the arm, “thank you. I just- it’s been a long couple of days. Too much excitement.”

“Oh,” Kara murmured, a look of understanding crossing her face as she gave Lena a tender look, “right, of course. You’re welcome to leave whenever you’d like, of course.”

“Yeah, that’s the thing, I _don't_ want to,” Lena laughed, the sound strained and void of any humour. It was a hollow sound, and she sat down on the closed toilet seat, the sprig of mistletoe in hand as she stared down at it.

Kara was silent as she watched Lena fiddle with the plant clipping, looming over her with a concerned look on her face, looking rather grave, despite the snowman sweater giving her a comical look. She didn’t pressure Lena to talk, but the silence started to grow heavier as neither of them spoke, the muffled voices from the apartment drifting through the door towards them.

“You know, Kara,” Lena eventually said, letting out a forceful sigh as she wiped at her cheeks as tears spilled over, “I’m terrified of small spaces. Always have been. I think it’s because I fell down an old dried up well on my family’s estate when I was younger, but I’ve always hated it. The only thing keeping me from completely panicking was the fact that I didn’t want to embarrass myself in front of you. And the thought of leaving that elevator … I hated that more than being stuck in there, because at least I wouldn’t have been alone. You were there with me. God, I’d forgotten what loneliness felt like until you were there and you were nice and interested, and I realised that I didn’t want you to leave.”

She let out a choked laugh, sniffing as she looked down at the sprig of mistletoe she held in her hands, twirling it between her fingers. Kara was silent as she knelt before her on the tiled floor of the bathroom, one hand lightly resting on Lena’s knee as she looked at her with sad blue eyes. Lena couldn’t bring herself to meet her stare, not wanting to see the pity swimming in them.

“And then when you suggested that we climb up into the ceiling … I didn’t want to do that either, because I knew we’d reach the stairs, and we’d go down to the lobby and you’d leave, and I’d go home to my empty apartment and my sad bottle of wine, and drink myself into unconsciousness until Christmas was over. But you were so excited about your sister that I didn’t want to ruin it for you. I thought that at least one of us should have a good Christmas Eve, until I realised that I  _ was _ . And when we were crawling through the ceiling, I wasn’t even scared about how cramped it was, because it was funny. You were there and it was stupid and fun, and you wouldn’t stop sneezing, and I considered putting my hand through the ceiling and jumping down to the space below and pretending it was an accident, because I knew that you wouldn’t leave me behind, and I knew we wouldn’t be able to reach the ceiling again. And then  _ you _ fell, by some twist of fate, and  _ I _ wasn’t going to leave you, of course.”

“I’m glad I fell,” Kara quietly admitted.

Letting out a weak chuckle, Lena sighed, “yeah, me too. Kind of. Not in an asshole way. I just- I’m glad that I didn’t have to spend another holiday alone. Thank you, Kara.”

“Anytime. I’m here anytime you need me to be, boss.”

Giving her a small smile, Lena held up the mistletoe and held it out to her, shrugging half heartedly at the mild look of surprise on Kara’s face. “Here, you have this.”

Quietly laughing, Kara’s warm fingers grazed Lena’s as she took the sprig off her, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she looked up at Lena. She snorted as she slowly shook her head, shoulders drooping slightly as she sighed. “Yeah, maybe this’ll be the year.”

Hesitantly laughing, Lena gave her a grim smile, “there’s always New Year’s too. Maybe you’ll find yourself in another elevator with some unfortunate soul at midnight.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

Giving her another smile, Lena touched her on the arm, “so, how about that dessert?”

Climbing to her feet, Kara reached down to offer her a hand, and Lena slipped hers into Kara’s warm one, letting her draw her to her feet in one easy motion. Standing nearly nose to nose, they paused for a moment, and Kara gave her a crooked smile, reaching out to brush her hair into place for her, and Lena let out a shaky laugh. A moment later, she stepped out of the bathroom after Kara and made her way to the kitchen. Everyone was spread everywhere, getting more cake, at the kitchen table, on the sofa, so their entrance went relatively unnoticed, aside from a quick questioning glance off Alex, and Lena thanked Kara as she handed her a plate with a monstrous size of cheesecake on it. 

Sitting at the high table, she smiled at J’onn, who was enjoying a slice of pie, and turned to look at Kara as she sat down across from her. Slipping into easy conversation with the older man, Kara enthusiastically dug into her own slice of chocolate pecan pie, and Lena slowly made her way through her own. It was rich and filling, and she ended up sliding the remainder of hers across the table to Kara, who, much to Lena’s amusement, seemed to have a never ending stomach, and with a quick smile of delight, Kara started to tackle the cheesecake as well.

Soon, full and drowsy, people started to leave, one by one, slipping on winter coats and catching cabs downstairs, and before long, it was only Lena left with Alex and Eliza. She knew she should be getting off too, but she stayed to help clean up the rest of the dishes first, tidying up the apartment and gathering empty bottles of alcohol together on the edge of the counter. Once she’d lingered as long as would be polite, not wanting to wear out her welcome, she said goodbye to Eliza, who warmly took her by the shoulders and smiled at her, before piling her up with containers of leftovers, much to Lena’s surprise and mild alarm as she tried to balance the precarious pile. Giving Alex as much of a wave as she could around her armful of food, she bid her goodbye and received a warm one in return, the other woman having grown slightly fond of her over the course of the day. And then Kara walked her to the door, and Lena found herself a little tongue tied and shy as she stepped out into the hallway, lingering on the threshold as she smiled up at Kara, unsure of what to say.

“I’ll, uh, I'll have the sweater dry cleaned and returned to you,” Lena started.

Waving her words aside, Kara gave her a warm smile, “keep it. Consider it a Christmas gift.”

Laughing, Lena looked down at it, tugging at the front of it as she tilted her head to the side, a strange feeling of fondness welling up inside for her employee. She found it strange how a complete stranger could be so kind and welcoming, offering her home and her family to share with Lena for the day, without asking for anything in return, giving her one of her sweaters and making her pancakes for breakfast. Lena knew that not everyone was like her family, but she marveled at the thought that there were genuinely kind people who existed, and considered herself lucky to have found one. Looking up, she gave Kara a bright smile, and it wasn’t forced for once. She was sincerely grateful for the gift, and found that she was actually quite enamoured with the patterned sweater.

With a wry twist of her lips, she looked up at Kara, giving her a soft look as she hugged the sweater to herself. “You know, I think this is the first real gift I’ve been given in years.”

“Oh yeah?”

Shrugging slightly, Lena let out an airy laugh, “yeah, I just- it’s not a fruit basket, or an expensive bottle of wine. It’s not something I’d ever buy myself, or wear under any normal circumstance, but it’s oddly charming. I love it. Thank you.”

“Who knows, maybe next year I’ll let you wear my Rudolph one. If I ever manage to get that nose back to red.”

Snorting with laughter, Lena gave her a baffled look for a moment, before warmth flooded her body at the prospect of spending Christmas with Kara next year. It was a subtle invite that let Lena know that she wouldn’t be alone, not if Kara had anything to say about it. She couldn’t find the words to express her gratitude, but she hoped that Kara knew how thankful she was. 

“Thank you for coming,” Kara quietly said, a bone deep weariness giving her a soft look of tiredness as she leant against the front door, giving Lena a warm smile even as her eyes drooped closed a little.

Laughing, Lena reached out to gently touch her arm, “thank you for inviting me. It’s the best Christmas I can ever remember having. It was nice to not be alone for the holidays. Thank you.”

Biting her bottom lip, Kara tilted her head to the side and gave her an apprehensive look, before her face softened into a sheepish smile, “can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“What’re you doing for New Year’s Eve?”

Lena smiled, a warm feeling spreading throughout her as she looked down at the floor, biting her lip as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Looking back up, the smile died a little at the hopeful expression on Kara’s face, and Lena felt herself flush, feeling a little hot beneath the collar of the knitted sweater. Clearing her throat, she tried to remain casual, gesturing vaguely as she shrugged.

“Oh, you know, just … work. Maybe. Probably not at the office this time though.”

“So … are these plans that you’d maybe consider cancelling if I asked you if you wanted to go for a drink with me and my friends?”

Pressing her lips together as she tried to fight back a smile, Lena cocked her head to the side, a thoughtful look on her face as she pretended to consider, knowing that Kara knew she was joking. With a small smile curling her lips, she nodded.

“I’d love to.”

Looking pleased with herself, Kara stepped out into the hallway and wrapped her in a gentle hug, mindful of the Tupperware containers in Lena's arms, and enveloped her in a smell of cinnamon, wine and freesias, before pulling back and smiling, her blue eyes sparkled slightly. "Well ... until New Year's Eve then."

Nodding, Lena bit her bottom lip as a smile played at the corners of her lips. "Until New Year's Eve."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy new year everyone

New Year’s Eve morning rolled around with cold weather, still bringing forceful winds and drizzling showers on the end tail of the Christmas storms, and Kara was up at the crack of dawn, rushing around her apartment in a pink blur, her dressing gown tied tightly around her waist as she cleaned. She dusted every surface, vacuumed and swept, made sure all the wine glasses were polished and the dishes were all neatly stacked on the table. The throw cushions were fluffed and the bathroom was scrubbed, and she even managed to rescue a cat stuck in a tree and stop a car thief in the process. She was in and out of the apartment all day, fighting crime and helping those who needed it, bringing home fresh flowers for the vase on her coffee table after stopping a shooting, taking a hot shower after she’d taken a dip in the harbour to save a drowning family and their yacht.

By the time the sun started to set, painting the sky in pinks and tangerines as puffy grey clouds drifted along the horizon, she was finally sitting down with a glass of rosé, wearing a salmon coloured a-line dress, her hair done up in an elaborate braided bun. Alex was already there, carrying boxes of alcohol up to the rooftop that Kara had renovated earlier on. She’d been busy all morning, bringing up plants and tables, trying to remain inconspicuous as she lugged heavy plant pots and furniture past her neighbours’ closed doors, listening closely to make sure they didn’t suddenly decide to leave their apartment and catch her holding the heavy items as if they weighed nothing. She’d managed to convert the rooftop from the desolate, trash strewn nothingness into a nice rooftop garden within a matter of hours. Now, she was sorting out snacks while she waited for the rest of her guests to arrive.

Pulling spring rolls out of the oven, coughing slightly as she waved wisps of smoke aside, she set the tray down on top of the stove, grimacing as she took in the blackened edges. Alex stepped back into the apartment through the door, which was propped open slightly ajar, and wrinkled her nose at the acrid smell of the smoke. “Jesus Christ, Kara, what’re you doing to the food?”

Turning to give her a sheepish smile, Kara helplessly shrugged, “I forgot about them.”

“Are you okay? You seem distracted.”

Picking up her glass of wine, Kara took a large sip, feeling her cheeks warm slightly at Alex’s question. The truth was that she _was_ distracted. All day, she’d been thinking about Lena, and if truth be told, she’d been thinking about her every day since Christmas too. Having forgotten to get her number, or give her hers, Kara had been left to wonder about her boss, agonisingly replaying their conversations in her mind as she listened to J’onn’s report, giving him an apologetic look when she caught his pointed stare, having noticed her wandering attention, flying past L-Corp whenever she was out and about as Supergirl, hoping to hear the familiar heartbeat, and finding that she did on most of the days since Christmas. With a wry smile on her lips, Kara would tell herself that of course Lena would be back to work again, while her employees enjoyed time with the families. If she’d had her number, Kara would’ve called her and come up with some flimsy excuse for her to come over. Instead, she impatiently bided her time, waiting the torturous few days for New Year’s Eve to roll around.

It would’ve taken someone far more oblivious than her sister to figure out what the cause of Kara’s distraction was, and Kara would’ve bet good money on Brainy even figuring out what had her so preoccupied with her thoughts, and he wasn’t exactly _good_ at picking up on human things. The truth was that Kara had a crush, and it was embarrassingly, glaringly obvious to herself, and she didn’t know what to do. The thing about a crush was that it was superficial, and she didn’t need to know Lena to think that she was beautiful, so even though they’d known each other all of a week, it was perfectly reasonable for her to be wrapped up in the idea of the woman she’d created in her mind. Nothing would ever come of it, and it was harmless. Lena was her boss, and Kara was about to become her assistant. It would be inappropriate, to say the least, and she couldn’t imagine her professional and aloof boss even wanting a friendship outside of the strange reality that the holidays had created, where time seemed to stand still.

Still, she couldn’t stop thinking about Lena. She couldn’t help but wonder what time she’d turn up - Kara hadn’t given her one last time they’d parted ways - what she was going to where, if she preferred red wine or champagne, if she’d like the food that Kara had prepared - not the spring rolls, obviously - and if this was the last time they’d ever see each other outside of work. With a helpless look on her face, Kara gave Alex a reproachful look.

“It’s silly, I know-”

“It’s not silly,” Alex cut in, giving her a stern look, “I just hope that you’ve placed your trust in the right person.”

“She’s not _like_ her family, Alex!”

Holding her hands up, Alex quickly conceded, “I never said she _was_. But you don’t know her at all, Kara. You just got stuck in an elevator with her. She doesn’t even know who you are.”

Rolling her eyes, Kara gave her an exasperated look, “I’m not going to come out to her either, so there’s nothing to worry about. She’s just … interesting.”

“Yeah, and beautiful. I’m not blind.”

“Okay, yes,” Kara agreed, knowing that she couldn’t flippantly dismiss that without completely revealing her hand, “but it’s more than that. She doesn’t have anyone else! I mean, is it fair for her to spend the holidays alone, just because she doesn’t have any friends or family? And she’s smart. It’s nice to talk to someone who’s actually smart for once. Like, you have _no_ idea how much I have to dumb myself down sometimes when talking to humans. But she’s smart! She’s curing cancer. It’s great!”

“Yes, yes, she’s smart, and beautiful, and she’s funny too - I’ll give her that - just … don’t get ahead of yourself, okay? You feel things too deeply, too quickly. It’s not a bad thing, it just- humans are a little slower. We can’t keep up with you. Just keep your guard up.”

Quietly laughing, Kara held up three fingers and gave Alex and eye-crinkling smile, “scout’s honour.”

Letting out a snort of laughter, Alex walked into the kitchen, grabbing a dish towel and picking up the hot tray, dumping the blackened spring rolls straight into the trash, while the two women gave them a grim look. Looking up, Kara met her sister’s solemn gaze, before Alex set the tray down on the counter. “I might order pizza.”

“Alex! I _can_ cook.”

“Everyone likes pizza! It’s just in case you mess up the bruschetta.”

“It’s toast! I can cook _toast_.”

Holding her hands up defensively, Alex gave her an amused look, slyly opening up her list of contacts so that she could call and order pizza. They already had a mountain of food that Kara had prepared already, with more spring rolls being tossed onto the hot tray as Alex watched on, and for any ordinary gathering of people, it would be more than enough. On a busy day though, Kara would eat everything without batting an eye, and she was already stressing about how much she’d be able to eat in front of Lena. It was all well and good to be friends with people who didn’t know about her secret identity, until it got to the point where she had to keep darting off at inconvenient times, or scoffing down three large pizzas in under five minutes so that her stomach wouldn’t start eating itself as she made small talk.

Pouring herself another drink, Alex watched on as Kara anxiously crammed food into her mouth, slicing chorizo and salami as she added them to the platter she was making up. With gentle music in the background, they finished preparing for the party, adding olives and grapes to the various platters Kara had made up, making sure they had enough ice stocked up, and that the speaker worked on the rooftop for some music. And then there was nothing to do but wait.

That was almost worse, and Kara found herself bouncing her leg as she nursed her wine, glancing at her watch, staring at the door, listening to the sounds of people outside, hoping that one of them was Lena. It was only a little after seven, and still early enough to warrant putting off arriving for a little while longer. In the end, Winn was first, with Brainy and Nia not far behind, followed by James, and then J’onn, all of them carrying some kind of food and drink. Lena was nowhere to be found, and Kara tried not to let her disappointment show every time she opened the door to another guest.

It wasn’t until nearly an hour after J’onn had arrived that there was a tentative knock on the door, almost too quiet to be heard over the sound of the laughter and chatter, if it wasn’t for Kara’s super hearing. The knock was so gentle that she could almost believe that Lena didn’t really want to come inside, and was hoping to go unnoticed so that she could leave again. Still, Kara was there in a heartbeat, a wide smile on her face, which she had to compose, so as to not look crazy when she opened the door. And there was Lena, lingering uncertainly outside the door, a bottle of champagne in the crook of each elbow. Her anxious expression relaxed into a soft smile as she looked up at Kara, her green eyes crinkling slightly at the corners.

Kara gave her a friendly smile, taking in the black trench coat and the hint of a deep green sweater peeking out of the top. Stepping aside, she beckoned Lena in. “Hi! You came!”

“I, uh, yeah, I did. These are for you.”

Taking the bottles of champagne, she thanked Lena, and had to choke back a sound of surprise at the labels. Each bottle probably cost more than Kara made in a week, and she’d definitely never drunk anything that expensive before. The easy way that Lena handed them over with little fuss let Kara know all she needed to about just _how_ rich her boss was. Of course, she could tell that just by looking at the understated cashmere sweater, and the expensive perfume that enveloped her. Lena wore her wealth like it wasn’t something to show off, and Kara liked her more for that. She wasn’t a fan of arrogant show-offs.

“You look nice. Can I take your coat?” Kara asked, setting the champagne down on the counters and holding her hand out for Lena’s coat, hanging it up beside everyone else’s, before she set the champagne in the fridge. “Drink?”

“Whatever you’re having.”

Fetching her a glass of wine, giving her a nervous smile, Kara led her over to the gathering of friends and let her get swept up in conversation. Acting as the middleman, she tried to navigate the conversation, staying to safe topics, even though all of her friends had met Lena before, and had behaved themselves then. No one steered towards an uncomfortable topic, and Kara found herself starting to relax as Lena did too.

After ten minutes or so, she was drawn back to the kitchen, fussing over the food as she listened to the conversation. Winn was discussing the computer software he’d been helping the DEO design - albeit, leaving out any mentions of the DEO - and Lena was completely engrossed in it, asking questions or offering comments that left both Winn and Brainy a little stumped. Both of them were used to being the smartest people, yet Lena was giving them some stiff competition as she offered her own valuable knowledge, much to Kara’s amusement as she watched on.

Cramming food into her mouth whenever Lena’s back was to her, she scooped the bruschetta mix onto the tiny pieces of toasted bread, spread cream cheese onto other slices, delicately laying salmon and avocado on top, and took the mini quiches out of the oven. She waved away all offers of help, shooing her friends off to enjoy themselves, yet J’onn lingered with her in the kitchen anyway, nursing a glass of whisky as he stared intently at Lena. Shooting him a sideways glance, she raised her eyebrows in a silent question at the intensity of his stare, a quizzical look in her eyes.

“She nearly didn’t come,” J’onn softly murmured, resting against the counters as he looked at Lena with a serious look on his face.

Turning to face him, Kara tilted her head to the side, a sad feeling spreading throughout her chest as she gave him a questioning look. Meeting her eyes, the hard lines of J’onn’s face softened, and he gave her a small smile.

“She didn’t want you to feel sorry for her. Most people hate her. She would rather you hate her than pity her.”

“Oh,” Kara gently murmured, a heavy feeling weighing her down inside as she looked over at Lena, who was smiling, even as she hung back slightly, following some ongoing joke that she wasn’t a part of. “Then why did she come?”

“To see you.”

Fighting back a blush, Kara took a bite of smoked salmon, before washing her hands under the tap and clearing her throat as she swallowed. Quietly chuckling, J’onn slowly shook his head, his dark eyes sparkling with amusement.

“You know I can’t read _your_ mind, but I don’t even have to; it’s written all over your face.”

“I know what you’re going to say-”

“No, you don’t. For what it’s worth, _I_ trust her. As much as I trust any human. She has a kind soul - I can see that for myself.”

Giving him a mild look of surprise, Kara raised her eyebrows. Her boss was usually an immovable force when it came to Kara’s kind heartedness, insisting that she keep her distance, before her naivety led her into danger. Yet he trusted the daughter of a woman they’d struggled to beat on numerous occasion, the sister of one of the world’s most notorious villains. Kara didn’t know what to say that to that, but surely it meant something if _he_ was willing to give Lena the benefit of the doubt. Even if no one else was, even if they were only playing nice because it was a holiday, and they were Kara’s guest, at least she had one person in her corner. Perhaps even two; Alex hadn’t made her opinions very clear yet.

“Give me a hand taking these upstairs?” Kara asked, lifting one of the plates.

Silently nodding, J’onn took a platter in each hand, and Kara called over to her friends, jerking her head towards the door. Lending a helping hand, they all grabbed a dish and helped carry it upstairs, taking it in turns to wait for the elevator and stepping out onto the rooftop. There were murmurs of appreciation from everyone at the sight that beheld them as they stepped out of the stairwell, placing their plates, bowls and boards down on the long trestle table covered with the white table cloth.

Over the course of the day, Kara had wrapped the entire place in fairy lights, which now illuminated the darkness with a thousand pricks of yellow light, a few larger lanterns dispersed amongst them, and a few citrus scented candles burning to keep the bugs at bay. It was a mild evening, a slight edge to the wind, but nothing that would ruin their night, and everyone was in high spirits as they walked around the renovated rooftop, taking in the blooming potted plants and the view of the city. She met Lena’s eye from across the rooftop and deposited her plate of snacks on the table, before snagging a glass of wine and making her way over to her.

“Hi.”

Giving her a coy smile, Lena folded her arms over her chest, her glass cradled in one hand. “Hi.”

“So, uh, thanks for coming. I wasn’t sure if you would.”

Laughing, Lena looked down at the floor, reaching up to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. “Well it was a pretty close call between you and the office.”

“Oh yeah? What was the deciding factor?” Kara played along, a small smile curling her lips.

“Thought I might get stuck in the elevator again.”

“Oof, wouldn’t want to risk that without my company, huh?”

Scoffing, Lena rolled her eyes as she took a sip of wine, but Kara watched her gaze soften as their eyes met, and saw the truth in them. She’d come here so that she wouldn’t be alone again, and perhaps J’onn was right in interpreting her thoughts as Lena wanting to come and see her. She wouldn’t have come for anyone else, and Kara glowed at the idea of her being someone special to Lena. Someone worth taking a break from the office to come and trek across the city to see. Biting her lip as she smiled, Kara felt warmth pool in her stomach.

“How was the rest of your holidays?”

Waving a hand vaguely, Lena let out a soft sigh, before giving an airy response, “oh … you know, it was uneventful.”

“Full of work?”

Narrowing her eyes slightly, Lena gave her a wry smile, “now how did you guess that?”

Shrugging, Kara returned the smile, keeping the fact that she’d flown past L-Corp to hear her heartbeat on numerous occasions over the days to herself. “Just a hunch.”

“How were yours?”

“Mine? They were-”

She trailed off as a loud bang cut through the general sounds of the city, and she managed to stop herself from wincing at the sound of shearing metal and screeching tyres, before another loud bang sounded. The sound of scraping metal set her teeth on edge, and she gave Lena an apologetic smile. “The oven! I think I left it on. I’m so sorry. Please excuse me. I’ll be back in a moment.”

Setting her glass of wine down on the nearest table, she all but ran past her friends, sharing exasperated looks by those in the know, and slipped back inside. Downstairs in her apartment, she quickly changed into her outfit and undid the braids in her hair, before shooting off through the city. It wasn’t too far away, and a moment later she was standing on the road, taking in the sight of the three car pile up. A van had been hit head on at an intersection, careening at the impact, and struck another car, which had swerved to miss it and flipped at the added momentum of the crash. With a sound of disapproval for the sleek sports car with the thumping music and the crumpled bonnet, surely the source of the problem, Kara set to work freeing all of the passengers from their vehicles, putting out a small engine fire before it could grow, and helping haul the wrecked cars onto the verge of the road as emergency services showed up. With traffic flowing again, she dusted off her hands and gave herself a self-satisfied smile, before jetting back to her apartment.

Changing back into her dress, fixing her hair, and washing the car grease stains from her hands with some lavender scented soap, she quickly made her way back up to the rooftop. Lena was talking to Nia about one of L-Corp’s projects, and Kara quickly reclaimed her glass of wine, before slipping through her assembled friends, giving them quick nods of reassurance, before she sidled back up to Lena.

Falling into conversation with them, the three women chatted away, helping themselves to the food spread out over the tables as they sipped at their wine and enjoyed the peacefulness of the night. Beyond the edge of the rooftop, the city was a sprawling mass of lights, skyscrapers lighting up the night, large billboards advertising big brands in neon lighting, christmas lights that hadn’t been taken down yet adding a festive feel to the end of the year as it drew to a close. Feeling herself relax again as any anticipation of accidents faded from her mind, Kara found herself enjoying the evening. It wasn’t often that she got to unwind, to clock off and enjoy time with her friends, and when she could, it was time she treasured. She wasn’t entirely off duty - she never was - but it was nice to enjoy the snippets in between, surrounded by people who didn’t mind her quick disappearing acts.

But then there was Lena, and Kara found herself a little nervous as she stood with her boss over near the wall enclosing the rooftop. Lena seemed to like the view, and the way the wind ruffled her hair and caressed her skin, standing off to the edge of the halos of light illuminating the small gathering, her alabaster skin almost silver in the dimness of the night, while the rest of her stood bathed in shadows. Although Kara’s friends made the effort to come over to her and socialise in between rounds of drinks and food, Lena didn’t seem to mind being alone when they all joked amongst themselves, their loud laughter disturbing whatever thoughts were spinning around in her mind. Kara was almost tempted to ask J’onn to check in on her thoughts and make sure she was okay, but didn’t want to intrude on her privacy, and decided to leave her to herself, making quick escapes to chat with her friends, before she found herself gravitating back to Lena’s side.

“Pizza’s here!” Alex called out, breaking off the conversation Lena was having with J’onn about national security, and Kara looked over to her. “Kara, how about you come and help me bring them up.”

“I can help,” Lena offered.

Resting a hand on her arm for a moment, Kara gave her a warm smile, “no, no, it’s fine. You stay here, I’ll be back in a moment.”

Ducking out of the conversation, she walked over to Alex, who ducked in close to her, their heads bent together. “Take three into the apartment and eat them quickly.”

Nodding, Alex followed her sister downstairs, letting the delivery guy in and relieving him of the giant stack of boxes, giving him a hefty tip, before they made their way upstairs. Given the top three, Kara was all but shoved into her apartment, with half of the rest left outside the door, leaving Alex to go back up to the roof and tell everyone that Kara was paying the delivery guy and would be up in a moment. In the safety of her apartment, she practically inhaled the pizzas, wolfing down bite after bite, grumbling to herself about the pineapple on one of them, and washed her greasy fingers, before stepping back out into the hallway. Scooping up the rest of her stack, she flitted up the staircases and stepped back out into the night with a smile on her face.

Quickly arranging the boxes of pizza on the tables, opening them one by one to reveal the different toppings, she stepped back and turned to find Lena standing nearby, a slice of plain cheese pizza held in one hand, her same glass of wine, slowly dwindling down, in the other. She raised her eyebrows as Kara approached.

“Is everything okay?” Lena asked, a bewildered look on her face as she stared at Kara, looking as if she wasn’t sure whether to laugh or be concerned. “You keep rushing off. Do you need a hand with something?”

Nervously laughing, Kara batted aside her concerns, nervously fiddling with her glasses as she tried to fight back her fears that Lena was getting suspicious. It wasn’t that Kara didn’t trust her, but she only trusted her as much as she trusted anyone she’d known for a week. “No, no, everything’s fine, I’m just a little forgetful today. Too much stressing over making sure I’ve got everything. You know how party hosting is.”

Lips pressed together in a thin line, Lena stared at her as Kara drained her glass of wine. And then there was a siren in the distance, and Kara turned to look out into the dazzling spider web of lights in the city, straining her ears as she tuned into the sounds of the sirens. She could hear an ambulance radio, and a moment later, the report confirming that someone had set fire to their apartment. Turning back to Lena, she stared at her with wide eyes.

“Ice!” Kara blurted out, feeling her cheeks turn red at the sudden outburst. Stammering slightly, she set her empty glass down on the wall encircling the rooftop, giving Lena an apologetic look. “I forgot to get ice! I’ll be back in a moment.”

Letting out a quick laugh, Lena slowly shook her head, a baffled look on her face as her brow wrinkled with a frown. There was only mystified amusement in her green eyes though, as if she was entertained by Kara’s erratic behaviour. Before giving her the chance to make a witty remark, or comment on how odd Kara was being, the blonde ducked out of the conversation, making eye contact with Alex. Giving her sister a pointed look of irritation, she moved towards the door leading to the stairwell, and Alex moved to close in on Lena behind her, distracting her for the time it would take Kara to put the fire out and get back.

Dashing down the stairs, kicking off her heels and pressing the button for the elevator, she made her way down to her floor, letting herself into her apartment, and stripped off her dress. In a heartbeat, she was suited up, crimson cloak swishing around her booted feet, and nearly broke her window in her rush to get outside. With a rush of air, she was soaring through the sky, jetting off towards the plume of smoke she could see in the distance, off beyond the inner city limits. She got there before emergency services, blowing on the roaring flames with her freeze breath, listening as ambulances, fire trucks and police cars pulled up outside. She had the soot covered family sitting on the sidewalk waiting for them, while she saved the rest of their house, and gave them a cheery smile before dashing off.

Pausing to buy two bags of ice with the money she stowed in her boot, she raced back home and quickly changed back into her dress, doing her hair back up into its elaborate braided bun, cursing herself for trying to look good for Lena, and shoved a bag of ice into her freezer, before lugging the other one back up to the roof. She’d only been gone a few minutes, a small enough time to not cause any suspicion, and when she stepped back out into the twinkly fairy lights in the rooftop, she was met with a variety of expressions. Most of them were knowing looks, small nods of approval, and looks of interest, as if her friends were waiting to find out what the emergency had been, but from Lena, there was only a small smile of contentedness as Kara returned.

Lifting the bag slightly, Kara gave her a smile from across the roof, before walking over to the metal bucket where wine and beer were chilling in slowly melting ice. Upending the bag over the top of it, she made a few loud comments, before she walked back over to Lena, who held out her wine glass to her. It had been refilled in her absence, and Kara beamed at her with shining gratitude as she held it between nimble fingers, watching the golden liquid catch the light of the twinkly strands of fairy lights Kara had taken the liberty of wrapping around every available surface.

“Sorry about that,” Kara breathlessly apologised, giving her a bashful smile.

“No problem at all,” Lena assured her, before she hesitated, gently biting her lip as she pointed to Kara. “Is that- you have something on you cheek. It looks like soot.”

Blue eyes widening with panic, Kara reached up to rub the heel of her palm across her cheek, coming away with a small smear of black. Letting out a nervous laugh, Kara mentally cursed her stupidity for not checking her reflection before coming back up. Trying to think of some lie that would seem plausible, she made a half-hearted attempt to explain as she rubbed at her face. Lips pressed together and eyebrows slightly raised, Lena watched with amusement, before she finally let out a snort of laughter.

“Let me.”

Kara turned to stone beneath her touch, not even daring to breathe as Lena’s cool fingertips gently grazed her skin, deftly wiping away the smudges of soot. She was so close, her green eyes trained on Kara’s flush cheek as she carefully wiped away, her full lips slightly parted and an intense look on concentration on her face, and Kara’s eyes drank in the sight of her as she stood as still as a statue. Withdrawing her hand, Lena gave her a lopsided smile, and Kara felt her stomach lurch as their eyes met.

“There. Much better.”

The sound of glass shattering interrupted the moment as Kara stood there in a daze, before she realised that she’d gripped her glass of wine so hard that she’d broken it. Shaking herself out of her trance, she blinked sluggishly as she looked down at the darkening cement of the rooftop, a puddle of wine seeping into the stone as shards of glass sparkled, reflecting the yellow light of the night.

“Jesus, are you alright?” Lena exclaimed, reaching out for Kara’s soaked hand, turning it over to check her palm, “are you bleeding?”

“I, uh, I think I- it must’ve been a faulty glass,” Kara lamely mumbled, her eyebrows raised as she stared down at the mess she’d made.

“How about you go and get yourself cleaned up,” Winn said, materialising at their side and wrapping an arm around Lena’s shoulder. “I want to steal this one for a quick chat.”

Numbly nodding, Kara stepped through the mess she’d made, glass cracking beneath her heels as she ducked her head down, making her way back towards the stairwell. Behind her, she could hear Alex trying to explain how much of a clutz Kara was, while Winn piped up with a quick jibe about it. Cheeks burning with embarrassment, she ran her hands over the speckled skirts of her dress, the sharp smell of wine clinging to her, and she grimaced as she shook wet droplets off her fingertips. She was going to have to change, and she pouted on the elevator ride down to her apartment as she looked at her reflection in the elevator mirror, taking in the wine stain and her frazzled appearance.

Sighing, Kara walked into her apartment with slumped shoulders, kicking off her wet heels and padding through the apartment, leaving footprints in her wake, fetching a towel and drying herself off. Stripping off her dress again, she left it in the laundry basket and settled for jeans and a button up, a thick knitted cardigan thrown over the top and a pair of brogues tied up, feeling like she’d already ruined any attempts to impress Lena anyway. So far, she wasn’t exactly leaving the impression she’d wanted to on Lena, what with her falling through the ceiling off her office, barging in on her crying - although she’d been trying to help there - and shattering a glass of wine on her during one of the few moments Kara hadn’t had to duck out of.

Resigning herself to the fact that tonight was a disaster, she emptied the pockets of her dress into her jeans, and made her way back upstairs, this time, determined not to leave again. Lena was going to think that she was avoiding her if she kept this up. She walked back out onto the rooftop to a cheer from James, who raised his beer as she held up her arms in a helpless gesture, an exasperated look on her face as she rolled her eyes. Brainy approached with a new glass of wine, which Kara delicately held, as if made of precious crystal, and she looked up as Lena approached, abandoning her spot beside the wall, with the wet puddle of wine staining the floor.

Things lulled back into easy conversation as they all chatted away, drawn into ever changing circles, making conversation as they helped themselves to food, fetched each other drinks, shouted jokes and let their laughter ring out. With no more emergencies, Kara relaxed, her smiles coming easier, and her laughter quicker, and she glowed with pride whenever she managed to make Lena laugh, watching as she allowed herself to be sucked into the circle of friends, giving just as good as she received when they started making little jokes at her expense to test the waters.

Before they knew it, midnight was nearly upon them, and they all gathered in a circle with party poppers, drinks in hand as they all chanted the countdown. As the clock hit midnight, they erupted into cheers, tiny pops preceding the shower of confetti as they all pulled their party poppers, fireworks bursting over the city as a display was set off. Everyone hugged each other and made cheerful comments about the new year, and Brainy even plucked up the courage to kiss Nia, following through on the human tradition, while everyone cheered, clapped and watched the colourful showers of sparks overhead.

“The champagne!” Kara eventually exclaimed, as everyone was settling down a few moments later. “We need to have a toast!”

Turning to look at Lena, she gave her a hopeful smile, one hand shoved in her pocket, “do you want to give me a hand?”

Giving her a warm smile, Lena nodded, setting her glass of wine down on the edge of a table and walking towards Kara. They stepped into the stairwell and slowly made their way down to the top floor, before climbing into the elevator, and Kara could feel her heart pound in her chest as her palms turned clammy. She hadn’t been so alone with Lena since she’d stepped into the bathroom upon hearing the muffled sounds of her crying on Christmas Day, and she had to admit that she was a little nervous.

They climbed into the elevator, standing side by side as it lurched into motion, and before they’d even made it to the next floor, Lena had pushed the emergency stop button, bringing them to a sudden stop. As Kara turned to look at her, eyebrows rising in a silent question, she found warm hands reaching out to cradle her face, and Lena’s soft lips were pressing down on hers. With her eyes wide open in shock, Kara froze, taking in Lena’s fluttering eyelashes as she kissed her, before Lena suddenly pulled back. Skittering backwards, almost as if she’d been forcibly pushed away, Lena open and closed her mouth, her face turning red as she quickly looked away, reaching up to cover her mouth with her hand.

Rooted to the spot, Kara watched as she reached out to press the emergency stop button again, and they shuddered back into motion. Listening to the grinding gears in silence, Kara tried to process the fact that Lena had just _kissed_ her. Lena had kissed _her._ She didn’t even know what to say, a warmth blooming in her chest as she bit back a secret smile, feeling her heart stagger in her chest as she tried to recover from the surprise. Her whole body hummed with adrenaline, and she snuck furtive glances at Lena as the brunette stared down at the floor, her pale skin flushed a delicate pink. Kara wanted to reach out and take her hand, to reassure her that it was okay - more than okay - but she couldn’t even bring herself to speak. At a loss for words, Kara silently stood there as the elevator slowly descended.

They were quick getting the bottles of champagne, with Lena lingering in the doorway, while Kara darted over to the fridge and plucked them from the shelf, before they left again, locking the door behind them and patiently waiting for the elevator. It was a few minutes after midnight, and Kara glanced down at her watch as the elevator chimed and the doors parted. Holding a bottle each, they climbed in and resumed their positions, shoulder to shoulder, standing there in silence.

Eventually, Lena turned towards her, and Kara looked up at the sign of movement. Clearing her throat, a sheepish look on her face as her cheeks flushed red, Lena looked at Kara with solemn green eyes, the bottle of champagne clutched tightly in one hand as they stood in tense silence, the elevator slowly ascending. Clearing her throat again, Lena gave her an apologetic look, jerking her chin up slightly.

“Sorry, that was … entirely unprofessional of me. I’m your boss and I overstepped. I didn’t- I was just- I’ve never had a New Year’s kiss before, and I think I’ve had a little too much wine.”

Kara gave her a warm smile, full of understanding, and a small part disappointment. She knew that Lena had been stuck on her second glass of wine since she’d shown up a few hours ago, standing on the fringes of the gathering, staring over the edge of the rooftop wall as she looked out at the city. Kara had stood beside her for most of that time, occasionally drawing someone else into conversation, or coaxing Lena over to the cheese platter for something to eat. It wasn’t that she’d had too much to drink, but Kara wouldn’t begrudge her the white lie. If she didn’t want it to mean anything more than a trivial tradition, then she didn’t have to worry. Yet Kara could hear her heart beating a little faster than she’d become accustomed to, and she cocked her head to the side, giving her a searching look.

With a small smile, she fumbled for the thing she’d been carrying in her pocket all night and clenched it in her fist as she met Lena’s gaze. “It’s okay,” she softly replied, her teeth worrying at her bottom lip, “but … you should know, I wanted to kiss you too.”

Raising her hand, she uncurled her fingers to reveal the sprig of mistletoe, a faint smile playing on her lips as she shrugged slightly. With a quiet, incredulous laugh, Lena hesitates for a moment, before reaching out to touch the green leaves, a pale fingerly tenderly caressing it, before she withdrew her hand and gave Kara a knowing smile.

“This is the piece I gave back to you in your bathroom, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Kara admitted, her cheeks turning slightly pink. “You said that-”

“Maybe you’d find yourself in an elevator with someone else.”

“I wanted it to be you.”

With a surprised laugh, Lena raised her eyebrows, “you mean you invited me down to your apartment to help you fetch some champagne, with the intention of kissing me in the elevator on the way back up?”

Shifting slightly, Kara gave her a sheepish smile, “I mean … yes. I might’ve- when you put it like that- I just … I don’t know. I can’t explain it because I’ve known you for like a week, and it sounds ridiculous-”

“I don’t think it’s ridiculous,” Lena quickly interrupted, her lips slowly curling up into an amused smile, “although it’s a bold move.”

Shoulders slumping as she let out a shaky laugh, Kara rubbed the back of her neck and looked down. “The other night, in the office, I just- I felt like I could just be _me_ , and that’s a rare thing for me. I don’t get to be me that often, and I don’t get to be the person with a New Year’s kiss, or the time to forget about everything else and dance to eighties pop music. Just for one night I- well, I just wanted to be like everyone else. Take the night off. Dance and drink. Kiss a stranger at midnight.”

Wrinkling her nose as she smiled, Lena reached out to give her arm a playful squeeze, “well we’re not strangers anymore.”

“No, I guess we’re not. But I’m still not sure what to make of you. And you’re still my boss.”

“Yes, there is that,” Lena quietly mused.

“But it’s New Year’s Eve …”

“So can one little kiss really hurt?”

Lips curling up into a smile, Kara tilted her head to the side, “exactly. Or even two.”

The smile on Lena’s face slowly grew at Kara’s words, and she arched an eyebrow, a glint in her eyes. Holding the tiny piece of mistletoe up between them, Kara took a slow, measured step towards her, uncertainty clouding her face, before Lena moved closer too, as if drawn towards her. Above the white berries and the cluster of green leaves, Kara hesitated for a moment, before a sheepish smile flitted across her face. Eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks, she leant in, and she could feel Lena’s warm breath fanning across her lips before they even touched. And then, a moment later, they came together, gentler this time, savouring the moment, and Kara reached up to cradle her chin in her hand, cherishing the feeling of Lena’s soft lips beneath her own. She was more careful than she’d ever been about anything before, handling Lena as carefully as if she was made of glass too, a warning at the back of her mind not to break her nose creeping up on Kara, and then she was pulling back. Flushed with satisfaction, and feeling a little bit shy, she watched as Lena’s eyelashes fluttered and her eyes opened, revealing a pair of slightly unfocused green eyes.

Blinking herself back into the moment, Lena cocked her head to the side and stared at her for a moment, before stepping back. Letting the hand holding the mistletoe fall back to her side, Kara likewise took a step backwards, trying to calm herself as her hands shook with adrenaline, her heart beating so fast that she was surprised it didn’t leap straight out of her chest. Lips pressed together in a thin line, she slowly breathed in through her nose, slowing her breathing as she kept her eyes locked with Lena’s, watching a slow smirk spread across the other woman’s face, hearing her heart racing as well, her chest rising and falling a little too quickly for her to be as composed as she looked.

They reached the top floor, and the doors parted with a quiet chime, and Kara gestured for Lena to exit first. Stepping out into the hallway, Lena looked back over her shoulder at her and raised her eyebrows, her eyes sparkling with mirth. “Well, elevators are certainly an interesting place with you.”

Feeling her face flush scarlet, Kara covered her face with a hand as she ducked her head, shaking with quiet laughter as she was overcome by a sudden bout of shyness. Sighing, she looked up and gave Lena a soft smile. “I could say the same thing about you, Just Lena.”

Snorting with laughter, Lena shook her head, continuing up the staircase and up to the stairwell, pausing for a moment with a hand on the door. "Perhaps we should find ourselves in them together more often."

Shaking her head as she smiled, a rosy look to her cheeks, Kara gave her a shy look as Lena quietly chuckled to herself and opened the door. They stepped out into the night together, holding up the bottles of champagne as they tried to pretend that nothing had happened, although she caught a knowing look off J’onn and gave him a sheepish, apologetic look in return, feeling her cheeks flame. Clearly Lena’s thoughts hadn’t been very well hidden.

Quickly filling up champagne flutes, they all gently clinked their glasses together - Kara with extra care - and there were more cheers and laughter as everyone enjoyed the early hours of the new year. Seeing everyone so happy, Kara was reminded of why she loved Earth so much, thinking of the strange family she had gathered in her time there, even if it was missing a few people. Despite the busy night she’d had, rushing off as Supergirl, and the small disasters, she found that it had been a perfect New Year’s Eve. When it started to get a little bit cold, she handed over her cardigan to a shivering Lena, insisting that she take it. They talked about all sorts of scientific things, and about small things too, like movies and books they liked, Kara’s family vacation when she was seven, and Lena’s fear of heights when she happened to glance over the edge of the rooftop on a foolish whim. She wouldn’t have changed a moment of it, and she hoped that Lena had enjoyed herself too. She hoped that she didn’t regret the kiss either.

Eventually, the party started winding down though. J’onn left first, heading straight to the DEO, followed by Brainy, Nia and Winn, the latter relying on the support of the other two to stay upright as he was drunkenly led out of the party. After James left, it was just Kara, Alex and Lena left, and the three of them tidied up, the quiet sounds of celebrations still raging throughout the city making themselves known to Kara’s sensitive hearing. Gathering up bottles, Kara swept them into a trash bag for the recycling, while Alex packed up the leftovers and Lena washed plates and glasses. They worked in slow quietness, the two humans wrapped in the comforting haze of alcohol, while Kara’s eyes sluggishly drifted open and closed as tiredness crept up on her from using her powers all day.

By the time they were finished, only small reminders of the party were noticeable, the bottle of alcohol a little lower than before, the fridge stacked with food that Kara was looking forward to eating later on that day, and the trestle tables and furniture from upstairs that Lena had helped her carry back down, with Kara taking most of the weight while she pretended to struggle as a normal human would. Eventually, their celebrations came to an end, the long night winding down as the new year settled in. With her coat on, and bag slung over one shoulder, Lena stood inside the doorway as Kara saw her off.

“So it looks like we’re out of holidays for the time being,” Kara shyly said, smiling as she stared down at Lena.

Laughing, Lena cocked her head to the side, narrowing her eyes slightly as she pressed her lips together. After a moment, a slow smile spread across her lips, and she gave her a small shrug. “Then I guess I’ll have to think of another excuse to see you again.”

“And what about professionalism?” Kara hedged.

Deliberating for a second, Lena shrugged, giving her a coy smile. “I mean, as long as I don’t show any favouritism at work, then why not?”

“So the promotion is still okay?”

Laughing, Lena reached out to rest her hand on her arm, and Kara looked down at it with wide eyes. “Kara, I offered you that _before_ I got to know you. That was about your brain, and you work ethic. Not a New Year’s kiss.”

“Right.”

“So I’ll see you at work?”

Slowly nodding, Kara bit her lip as she fiddled with her hands, feeling slightly bashful as she saw Lena off. “Yeah, okay, sure. Happy New Year.”

Smiling, Lena gave her a lingering look, “Happy New Year, Kara. I have a feeling like it’s going to be a good one.”

“Get home safe.”

And then she stepped forward and gently wrapped her in the warmth of her embrace for a moment, breathing in the smell of her expensive perfume and noting the way her small, fragile body fitted in her arms. Letting go, she watched as Lena stepped out into the hallway, watching her walk towards the elevator, and lingered a moment, quickly fluttering her fingers at Kara in a small wave, before stepping into the elevator. As she vanished from her sight, Kara slipped back into her apartment and let out a sigh of content, a warm feeling spreading through her. She couldn’t help but feel like Lena was right; Kara had a feeling like it was going to be a good year too. And on top of that, she couldn’t wait to go back to work.


End file.
